Helmet – led the whole time by frontman Page Hamilton – have been a mainstay on the hard rock scene for more than three decades now.
Although never quite cracking the global mainstream market Helmet have still managed to play an influential role in the lives of countless music lovers, with a fanatically loyal underground fan base that rivals any other.
“The one goal I always had as a writer was to not sound like anyone else. To a fault, early on where if something was even humble then I hated it.”
Page Hamilton
Now, after a prolonged absence for them from our shores, Helmet are set to return this April for The Best Of Helmet Australian Tour taking in Newcastle, Sydney, Hobart, Perth, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide.
Known for their frenetic two-hour-plus live shows, Helmet have long held an affinity amongst Australian crowds with Hamilton admitting the band are pumped for the run of shows.
“We started this thing out in Prague back in early September,” he recounted, “and it was kind of daunting at first trying to figure out how to make a set flow with 30 songs and just two hours of Helmet music – no opening band. But we got a groove going after a couple of shows, and we added a bunch of songs that have never been performed live before and some that haven’t been performed since 1991, 92. I find that when you bring new stuff – or new old stuff – into the set, it injects new life into the rest of the things that you’ve played quite a lot over the course of 30 years. It’s been really fun. I’m surprised at how much fun it’s been, and I love doing it.”
In the full interview, Hamilton runs over what to expect from the shows, fitting 30 years of material into one setlist, how Helmet’s music has changed over the years, his greatest musical achievement, some of his side projects and what’s happening with them, the early days of Helmet, his early vision and how it has changed since, steering clear of musical trends, what he has learned along the journey and more.
