Sleep Announce First Ever New Zealand Shows For January 2018

Pioneering stoner-doom group Sleep have announced their first ever shows on New Zealand soil. The trio emerged from Northern California in the early nineties, and quickly tucked two records under their belts. The group's sophomore album, 1992's Sleep's Holy Mountain, has held its place as one of the most influential records in the canon of stoner metal. 

Due to label conflicts over to the unconventional nature of their third album Dopesmoker,  a 72-minute homage to marijuana, the group disbanded in the late nineties. However, the album was released in 2003 by Tee Pee Records. A few years later, Sleep reformed to perform two festival shows in Britain and then, on the heels of increasing public appearances, the band started penning new material of which 'The Clarity' was released in 2014. There has also been talk of a new album in the works later this year.  

Their long-awaited visit to our shores will see the current line-up of Al Cisneros, Matt Pike and Jason Roeder deliver a mind-melting show not to be missed by stoner/doom fans. Here are the details...

UnderTheRadar Proudly Presents...

Sleep

Monday 15th January, San Fran, Wellington
Tuesday 16th January, Galatos, Auckland

Tickets available HERE at UTR and in-store at RPM/Slow Boat (Wellington) and Flying Out (Auckland)

Get a taste of what to expect with this awesome clip of the trio performing live at Regency Ballroom in San Fran last year...

PRESS RELEASE:

SLEEP
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND TOUR
JANUARY 2018

LIFE IS NOISE is proud to announce the return of seminal stoner/doom trio Sleep to Australian shores in January, as well as their first ever performances in New Zealand. The band will be slinging bong-rattling riffs to venues in Wellington and Auckland before crossing the Tasman to play shows in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

“Sleep don’t play songs so much as build them with a deliberate patience that seems like meditation. Intros go for minutes on end, picking up momentum and power almost imperceptibly until, like storm clouds unable to bear their own weight, they finally unleash their awesome power.” - Henry Rollins

Few can compare to the monolithic sounds of Sleep. The band set a new framework for stoner-metal enthusiasts through worship of the walloping tone of ‘70s tube amps, Iommi-esque riffwork and marijuana. Dopesmoker changed the genre as we know it, turning weed into its own religion as listeners followed the smoke to the riff filled land.

"With a band like Sleep the only thing to really do is let the music take you over and focus on what comes across as one continuous composition. The music is abrasive yet strangely comforting in its ability to lock the listener into a trance-like state, stoned or not." - Glide Magazine

Seeing Sleep live is an experience that blows eardrums and minds alike. Witnesses to the band’s appearance at 2014’s Meredith Music Festival (or the associated Australian tour) will attest to the mind-bending tones and tar-soaked grooves emanating from a ludicrously oversized wall of amplifiers. The experience is akin to drenching yourself in resin, allowing the music to slowly burn and dance through you like a wandering flame.

“What seems disorienting and monochromatic at first grows richer and more rewarding upon repeated exposure. It’s like a Mark Rothko painting hitting you over the head with a bag of hammers.” - The New York Times

Sleep arrive in New Zealand and Australia in January, 2018. Be sure to grab tickets quickly, as the rare chance to see these titans of metal won't last for long.

Catch Sleep on the following dates:

San Fran, Wellington - Monday, January 15
Galatos, Auckland - Tuesday, January 16
The Triffid, Brisbane - Thursday, January 18
Manning Bar, Sydney - Friday, January 19
Max Watt's, Melbourne - Saturday, January 20