SLOW TRAVEL BERLIN
Helmet, SO36, 8pm
It was 20 years ago this June when New York alternative band Helmet released highly-anticipated third full-length, Betty. Since then, the group has gone on to release four more albums (with a new one due next year), break up and get back together, and cycle through 15 members, with lead singer and guitarist Page Hamilton remaining the only constant.
The band has often been credited as being founders of the nu metal sound, a label Hamilton is quick to reject. Others note that Helmet is the link between the indie rock and metal genres. But whatever you want to call them, there’s no denying the influence Helmet has had on the alternative rock scene.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Betty, hailed as an experimental success, the band will hit the road to play songs from the album. The majority of July and August were spent touring the US, and Helmet touches down in Europe on Sept. 11 for a seven-week tour. Natalye Childress
SO36, Oranienstraße 190, 10999 Berlin; 030 61 40 13 06; U: Kottbusser Tor; admission: €23,10.