Rewinding the past, live

But will Shihad dress up for the occasion? Photo / Supplied

Shihad will play their two classic albums in their entirety as part of a one-off tour in July and August.

The series of two-night performances - in Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland - will see the band play full run-throughs of 1995's Killjoy on the first night and 1999's The General Electric on night two.

The Auckland dates for the tour, which kicks off in Christchurch on July 29, are August 6 (Killjoy) and August 7 (The General Electric) at the Powerstation.

Killjoy, a dark and heavy yet melodic album, was the band's more refined follow-up to brutal debut, Churn, and is the point where they defined their sound - from the opening slaughter of You Again, to the storming squall of Gimme Gimme, and then on to weighty beauty Deb's Night Out.

Meanwhile, The General Electric, is the band's biggest-selling album and with songs like My Mind's Sedate and Pacifier they moved further into the mainstream to become New Zealand's most highly-regarded rock band.

Pre-sale tickets go on sale tomorrow through shihad.com (you have to register to buy) and public sales on June 21 from Ticketmaster and Real Groovy.

Meanwhile, due to popular demand a second Leonard Cohen show at Vector Arena has been announced for October 28 (Tickets on sale 9am, June 21, at Ticketmaster).

And American electronic pop crazy Owl City (real name Adam Young), who released his debut album Ocean Eyes last year, plays the Powerstation on November 13.

The albums' tracklistings

Killjoy (1995)
You Again, Gimme Gimme, The Call, Envy, Deb's Night Out, Bitter, For What You Burn, Silvercup, Get Up

The General Electric (1999)
Intro, My Mind's Sedate, The General Electric, Wait and See, Pacifier, Thin White Line, Only Time, Just Like Everybody Else, Sport and Religion, Spacing, The Metal Song, Life in Cars, Brightest Star