HELMET 2026

NYC Noise Rock Instigators Helmet return to Aotearoa / New Zealand for two shows in April 2026, playing The Powerstation in Auckland on Sunday 12 April. 

Helmet has built a reputation as one of the most commanding forces in the underground scene. Born at the dawn of the rage-filled 90’s, Helmet fiercely holds space for multiple generations of alternative fans seeking the vital energy of hostile riffs and inventive metronomic groove. With a refusal to fit neatly into a genre, Helmet’s music creates an atmosphere best known live; part industrial, part hip-hop, part existential sermon. 

Formed in 1989 in NYC by Page Hamilton, Helmet has been crushing stages for over three decades. In that time they have only come to Aotearoa / NZ a handful of times, most recently in 2023 during their sold out Best of Helmet 1989-2023 tour, with 13th Floor declaring “a complete evening of essential music from one of heavy music’s most essential bands.” With 35 years of rocking behind them, Helmet are at the top of their game. Don’t miss Helmet in New Zealand next April. Tickets on sale Thursday 2 October, 12pm 

Helmet rewired heavy music guiding peers like Deftones, Korn, through to Pantera and later Mastodon, to heel to the power of the brutal riff. The band are renowned for delivering live performances that are as intense and precise as their recordings. Masterclass shows and an infectious on stage presence, giving fans an immersive experience they won’t forget.

Helmet’s 1992 landmark Meantime album went gold and cemented them as trailblazers of the heavy music scene, featuring the anthem ‘Unsung’. Their discography showcases the evolution of their sound, continuously pushing the boundaries of alternative metal. From the genre-bending Betty (1994) which included the alt version ‘Milktoast’ on cult 90’s film The Crow, and Aftertaste (1997) to their return with Size Matters (2004) and a string of uncompromising releases through Dead to the World (2016), Left (2023), they remain a critical force.