Rise Against are heading to New Zealand in February 2018. The politically-charged, punk four-piece will play two shows – their biggest headline shows in our country to date – in celebration of their chart-topping eighth studio album Wolves. Joining Rise Against in NZ will be special guests SWMRS. 

Tim McIlrath, Zach Blair, Joe Principe and Brandon Barnes will make their return following a hugely successful run of sold-out shows across Australia and New Zealand in December 2015, and an unforgettable stadium tour as Foo Fighters’ special guests. In Australia alone, the band have achieved more than 200,000 album sales, thanks to hits such as ‘I Don’t Want To Be Here Anymore’ and ‘Help Is on the Way’ and albums The Sufferer and the Witness (2006), Appeal To Reason (2008), Endgame (2011), and The Black Market (2014).
 
Recorded in Nashville with Grammy-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Alice in Chains, Deftones), Wolvessmashed into the charts upon its release in June: hitting #20 in New Zealand, #5 in Australia’s ARIA Albums Chart; #9 in the US Billboard 200 (and a trio of #1 debuts in the ‘Hard Rock Albums’, ‘Rock Albums’ and ‘Top Alternative Albums’ charts).
 
Featuring singles ‘The Violence’ and ‘House On Fire’, the influence of the US presidential election can be heard on Wolves. “In many ways, a Rise Against show is a safe space for our fans,” says McIlrath. “But I realised … I want to create dangerous spaces where misogyny can’t exist, where xenophobia can’t exist. I want to create spaces where those sentiments don’t have any air, and they suffocate: where those ideas die. Wolves isn’t about creating a safe space, it’s about creating a space that’s dangerous for injustice.”
 
SPECIAL GUESTS FOR ALL SHOWS: SWMRS
 
Joining Rise Against in NZ will be special guests SWMRS, who released album Drive North in 2016 (via label Fueled By Ramen). The Oakland, CA rock outfit have been pals since childhood, and after tours of the US and Europe in 2017 will head down under on their very first visit to our shores. Drive North was produced by FIDLAR vocalist Zac Carper. 

Rise Against with special guest SWMRS

Saturday February 17th: Horncastle Arena, Christchurch - Tickets via Ticketek

Monday February 19th: Logan Campbell Centre, Auckland - Tickets via Ticketmaster

Frontier Members pre-sale runs from Thu 13 Jul
Click HERE for details

General public on sale from Mon 17 Jul
12noon NZST