ALIEN WEAPONRY @ THE ROXY 5.29
Way back in February, our HEAVY offices stumbled on an email introducing us to a band out of New Zealand called Alien Weaponry. After a bit of research, I learned that this three-piece thrash metal group formed almost a decade ago by a trio of school-aged youths from a small coastal village in New Zealand called Waipu. Spearheaded by brothers Henry and Lewis de Jong and childhood friend Ethan Trembath, this group has quickly taken the world by storm.
As I sit here and write this, I am immediately checking myself: I am almost twice their age and I still have yet to form a band that tours the world. Hello, quarter-life crisis! Fortunately enough, I was able to squeeze in a quick interview with Ethan and Lewis from Alien Weaponry while Henry was off tending to technical issues. We met in their dressing room at the famed Roxy Theatre on Sunset Boulevard shortly before their set. For a few moments, I got down to the nitty gritty with these lads and got a full-on crash course on New Zealand slang, Maōri culture, and life on the road touring with bands like Gojira and Tool at Chicago Open Air. Tour life is definitely a wild ride.
Honestly, Chicago was interesting but it was great. The crowd situation was kind of weird. There was this VIP section and then the main crowd section, which made the crowd like split in two kind of. But all in all, it was actually pretty damn good considering the time of day we played. We actually kind of bumped into the dudes from Gojira… ended up hanging out with them when we went to go watch TOOL with them. They came with us and we all just went into the VIP crowd and we watched TOOL and uh, yeah that was kind of a buzzy experience ‘cause I’ve been listening to Gojira for ages.
Lewis de Jong, Alien Weaponry guitarist
Towards the end of my interview with the lads, we spoke briefly about what is to come with Alien Weaponry. Since the band is currently touring Europe, their primary focus right now is to put on memorable, face-melting performances for their fans. Ethan and Lewis shared with me that they don’t like to write while they’re on the road because touring and writing are two different energies, which totally makes sense. Rest assured, once that new album drops, it’s going to be heavier than ever. Be on the look-out for a new music video. I am told that is to be released sometime this summer.
To all those out there with dreams of being a musician, Lewis and Ethan say “write genuine music that you fucking enjoy… do what you love. Don’t be fake about your art because it’s really obvious when you are.”
Listen to the full interview below!
The Roxy Theatre 
Gettin’ HEAVY! 
Artwork by Lewis 
Ethan, Lewis, & Dez
Immediately after closing out the interview with some high fives from Lewis and Ethan, I made my way to the main room where I watched Alien Weaponry close out their headlining Tūmatauenga [Pronounced: Too-ma-toe-enga] Tour at The Roxy to a fully packed room.
This was my very first time checking out the band live and boy did I pick a great time to see them! Folks were entertained with the entire catalog of tracks off of their current album Tū, plus their latest singles “Ahi Kā” and “Blinded.” From start to finish, I was headbanging my little heart out alongside another young fellow who was also seeing the band for the first time. Directly in front of me was a father and son rocking out in matching denim vests.
These days, I tend to get a little disappointed with the lack of movement at shows, but this crowd was definitely an exception to the rule… especially once “Kai Tangata” started up. That pit opened up and it got fucken rowdy!
Here’s the set-list for the evening (to the best of my knowledge):
- Whaikorero
- PC Bro
- Holding My Breath
- Rage–It Takes Over Again
- Te Ara
- Hypocrite
- Urutaa
- Nobody Here
- The Things That You Know
- Blinded* NEW SONG
- Ahi Kā* NEW SONG
- Kai Tangata
- Whispers
- Raupatu
- Ru Ana Te Whenua
If you missed the guys on this first round of North American tour dates, you can catch them again this fall! They recently got confirmed to perform at the Exit 111 festival in Manchester, Tennessee. If you don’t have any plans in October, plan on seeing the lads there! This band has a bright future ahead of them, can’t wait to see what they do next! Til then, stay HEAVY! –Dez
