Things just keep getting better for Whangarei teen thrash metal band Alien Weaponry.
Days after signing a three-year management contract to break them in Europe the trio - Henry de Jong (17) drums, brother Lewis de Jong (15) guitar/vocals and Ethan Trembath (15) bass - have won a prestigious New Zealand music award.
Last night the Waipu band won the esteemed APRA Maioha Award, recognising exceptional waiata featuring te reo Maori, for their heavy metal anthem Raupatu.
The song raises awareness of land confiscations by the colonial government with a startling performance.
Held in Dunedin, the awards celebrate the best in NZ music. The top award - the APRA Silver Scroll Award - went to Lorde for her international hit song Green Light.