Alien weaponry. Source, Alien Weaponry, Facebook
After arriving home from their tour in Australia, reo Māori metal band Alien Weaponry is set to start their biggest national tour in Aotearoa tomorrow.
The band is made up of two brothers of Ngāti Pikiao and Ngāti Raukawa, Lewis and Henry de Jong, and Ethen Trembath whose songs have melodies driven with thunderous metal thrashing reo Māori vocals.
Their first show will be in Tauranga tomorrow night, followed by shows in Hamilton, Auckland, Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington.
The trio has assured fans that the show in Christchurch next Friday will still go ahead but at a different venue, at Micky Finns.
"It's been a traumatic week for Christchurch and indeed for us all in New Zealand but we want to reassure you that the Christchurch show is still going ahead," the band wrote in a post on their Facebook page.
The trio said they felt “shocked and saddened” following the terrorist attack at two Christchurch mosques last Friday that has taken the lives of 50 people.
“Social media is a powerful thing that affects our generation more than most and we would like to think that people use it for good, the band wrote.
“As part of a heavy metal community we think we all have a responsibility to call out anyone who uses it to belittle or harm others because of their faith, race, sexuality or beliefs and social standing.”
Fans are also being urged to get their tickets fast after their Dunedin show next week already sold out.
Wellington will host the last show on Saturday, March 30.
“This will be our very last New Zealand show before we hit the USA and Europe. It’s going to be awesome,” the band says.
Over the past year, Alien Weaponry has been booked to play on the world's biggest metal festivals including the Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany, a goal they have had since they were kids.
In their recent Australian tour they performed in Sydney and Melbourne and later this year they will embark on their own headline tour of the United States.
Show dates and locations
Thu 21 Mar Totara St, Tauranga 18+
Fri 22 Mar Altitude, Hamilton 18+
Sat 23 Mar Studio, The Venue, Auckland 18+
Thu 28 Mar Fifty Gorillas, Dunedin *SOLD OUT
Fri 29 Mar Micky Finns, Christchurch 18+
Sat 30 Mar Cuba Dupa, Wellington