Pub venues for teen band on tour

Whangarei band Alien Weaponry will be playing in pubs in the lower North Island these school holidays. Photo / Supplied

While many Northland school children will spend their holidays at home playing games or having a break a trio of Waipu teens will be packing up their instruments and heading off for their second tour of pubs next week.

Thrash metal band Alien Weaponry, who have toured with New Zealand heavyweights Devilskin and opened for Shihad, are set to play four back-to-back shows in the lower North Island, including Wellington, these school holidays.

The band, Ethan Trembath (13), Lewis de Jong (13) and Henry de Jong (15), have had their eyes set on playing in the lower North Island for some time.

"We've got lots of Facebook fans in those places, and there's also a lot of other great bands there we have wanted to play with," said Lewis. "We have been talking to the bands and local promoters down there who have quite a large fan base so we are expecting a reasonably big turnout."

Three of the four shows will be played at bars and the other a free lunchtime concert at Massey University, Palmerston North.

None of the group are old enough to drink so playing gigs in bars can be a bit tricky sometimes.

"We have to ring the venue and let them know we will each have a guardian with us and most of the time they are cool after they know that but with a recent law change which allows the local council to apply the law we have been told a couple of times we can't play after 10pm," Henry said.

Although their fan base spans all ages, playing in bars also means that some of their underage fans have not been able to watch. Henry identified an unlikely supporter of the band, their "aging grandmother", who recommends the band to all of her friends. "They think she's crazy," he said.

Alien Weaponry will play shows with bands Ceder, Deadset, Meat, Grey Skies over Rapture, Winterborn and Decoma between July 15 and 18.

After returning from the tour, the boys plan to begin work on their first album.