There is something specific about watching a band play in the city they grew up in. The energy in the room is different. The crowd knows the story. And the band plays like they have something to prove to the people who have been there from the start.
Devilskin played their Re-Evolution Tour date in Hamilton on 20 June 2025, 6:30pm at The Factory, 28 Alexandra Street. This was a homecoming show in the fullest sense: Devilskin are from Hamilton, formed here in June 2010, and have built one of New Zealand’s most remarkable rock careers from this city over the 15 years since.
The Re-Evolution Tour ran across 12 venues from 30 May (Invercargill) to 5 July (Wellington), covering New Zealand from end to end. Hamilton’s 20 June date sat mid-tour. Support for every night came from two acts: three-time Tui Award winners Villainy and alt-rock duo Midwave Breaks.
The Band: Hamilton’s Most Successful Rock Export
Devilskin is a four-piece alternative metal band formed in Hamilton in June 2010. The four members are: Jennie Skulander (lead vocals), Tony “Nail” Vincent (guitar), Paul Martin (bass), and Nic Martin (drums – Paul’s son).
Their story is one of the genuinely great ones in New Zealand music. Founding member Paul Martin was working through demo submissions for his Axe Attack radio show when he found a recording by a Rotorua band called Slipping Tongue, with Jennie Skulander on vocals. Martin crossed paths with Skulander in Hamilton in 2010 and proposed forming a band together. Nail Vincent came from Chuganaut, one of the Waikato’s leading hard rock acts. Nic Martin joined as drummer in August 2011, at age 15.
By 2014, the band had recorded their debut album We Rise at York Street Studios in Auckland. Released 11 July 2014, it debuted at Number 1 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart, knocked Ed Sheeran’s X from the top of the chart, achieved Gold certification within two weeks of release, and reached Platinum status by March 2015 – the first New Zealand rock album to achieve Platinum since Shihad’s Killjoy. We Rise spent 95 weeks in the NZ album chart.
The follow-up, Be Like the River (2016), also debuted at Number 1. Red followed in 2020. The Re-Evolution album, their fourth studio release, came out on 11 July 2025 – exactly 11 years after We Rise.
Bassist Paul Martin’s comment on Re-Evolution captures the band’s approach: “We’re constantly re-evolving as a band, growing into the best and most exciting version of Devilskin that we can be. We’ve set, and smashed, some pretty big challenges for ourselves so right now we couldn’t be more excited to take this new energy on tour.”
For anyone interested in the broader Hamilton music and live entertainment scene, Claudelands Events Centre and FMG Stadium Waikato host major touring acts through H3 – the city’s specialist events team.
The Re-Evolution Tour: What the Night Offered
The Re-Evolution Tour was organised around Devilskin’s new album, recording of which took place at Parachute Studios. With a new album in development at the time of the tour announcement, the shows offered something relatively rare: the opportunity to hear new material in a live setting before the album’s formal release.
The setlist, as Eventfinda’s description noted, combined “all the hits, fan favourites and debut some new songs in all their raw and pulverising glory.” For long-time Devilskin fans, this meant reaching back to We Rise tracks that have been staples of the live show for a decade while also hearing where the band is heading.
The VIP package for the tour included: a digital pre-order of Re-Evolution, exclusive pre-release playback of selected album tracks with introduction by the band, exclusive VIP A5 print, VIP laminate, first access to merchandise, and venue entry one hour before general admission. This kind of pre-show access to new material before public release is unusual in NZ rock touring.
The Support Acts
Villainy are a four-piece alternative rock band from Auckland with three Tui Award wins. Their involvement added a layer of credibility to the Re-Evolution Tour’s overall proposition – this was not a support slot for an emerging act learning from the headliner, but a three-act bill of bands with their own established audiences. Villainy singer Neill Fraser described the combination as “shaping up to be the definitive NZ tour of the year.”
Midwave Breaks opened each night. The alt-rock two-piece contributed what their drummer Paul Russell described as “radio-friendly rock anthems” to the high-energy lineup. A Devilskin tour has become, as Russell put it, “an iconic fixture on the NZ Rock Calendar.”
Devilskin’s Career in Numbers
The numbers behind Devilskin’s career are worth understanding because they are genuinely exceptional by any New Zealand standard:
We Rise (2014) debuted at Number 1, spent 95 weeks in the NZ album chart, went Platinum. Be Like the River (2016) also debuted at Number 1 – also Platinum. Re-Evolution (2025) is their fourth studio album. Nail Vincent became the first New Zealander formally selected as a Gibson Artist, joining artists including Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and Slash. The band has completed half a dozen European tours. Grammy Award-winning band Halestorm flew to New Zealand specifically to support Devilskin on tour. They have performed alongside Rob Zombie, Korn, Megadeth, and Five Finger Death Punch at NZ festival West Fest.
In the context of an industry where most New Zealand rock bands struggle to sustain a national touring career, let alone an international one, Devilskin’s trajectory is not easily replicated.
FAQs About Devilskin Re-Evolution Tour Hamilton
When did Devilskin play in Hamilton on the Re-Evolution Tour?
20 June 2025 at 6:30pm at The Factory, 28 Alexandra Street, Hamilton.
Who are Devilskin?
Devilskin are a four-piece alternative metal band from Hamilton, NZ, formed June 2010. Members: Jennie Skulander (vocals), Nail / Tony Vincent (guitar), Paul Martin (bass), Nic Martin (drums). Their 2014 debut We Rise debuted at #1 and went Platinum.
What was Re-Evolution?
Re-Evolution is Devilskin’s fourth studio album, released 11 July 2025. It was recorded at Parachute Studios with the band describing it as representing “a new level for us as songwriters and as recording artists.”
Who supported Devilskin on the Re-Evolution Tour?
Villainy (three-time Tui Award winners, Auckland alternative rock four-piece) and Midwave Breaks (alt-rock duo) supported on all 12 dates of the Re-Evolution Tour.
How many venues did the Re-Evolution Tour cover?
12 venues from Invercargill (30 May 2025) to Wellington (5 July 2025), covering New Zealand from Southland to the capital.
