bReview: Helmet
Sunday 12 April 2026 at the Powerstation
Photography by Trelise Sumich
Written by Marlo Schorr-Kon
The final wisps of Cyclone Vaianu did not stop alternative rockers Helmet from absolutely detonating Auckland's Powerstation last night. The New York band seem to be visiting us fairly frequently, their last gig on Auckland soil being at The Tuning Fork in 2023. The band was absolutely on fire last night and the crowd were absolutely there for it.
Kicking off the night were Auckland metalcore band, New Way Home. Though the crowd was still sparse when they took the stage, they did not hold back and ruthlessly tore through their set, serving up breakdown after headbangable breakdown. Formed in 2005, the band have been on and off for the last ten or so years, but returned last year with a vengeance. Their set last night balanced moments of delicate, more intricate passages of music with the relentless, all out chaos that the band are known for. Whenever drummer, Joe Brownless, bashed the bell of his ride cymbal, you knew your mind was about to be blown, and your head was about to bang.
(New Way Home at the Powerstation / Photo: Trelise Sumich)
Helmet strode on stage with no bells and whistles, launching straight into their first song, ‘Swallowing Everything’. As this was my first time seeing Helmet, what immediately struck me was how incredibly tight they are live. The band, fronted by Page Hamilton, were locked in in a way that I have not seen with many other bands, another example I can think of being Shihad. When the band started ‘Iron Head’ from their most commercially successful album, 1992's Meantime, the mosh absolutely erupted. After briefly exiting the stage, the band kicked off their encore with ‘Give It’ before blasting through ‘Unsung’ and ‘In The Meantime’ to finish things off, the mosh going absolutely wild for the last few songs.
(Helmet at the Powerstation / Photo: Trelise Sumich)
While it was my first time seeing Helmet, some people I talked to at the show had seen them three or four times, and some even more than that. It is evident that Helmet have built an incredibly loyal kiwi fanbase since their first visit in 1988.
(Helmet at the Powerstation / Photo: Trelise Sumich)
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