Suicidal Tendencies – The Powerstation: November 18, 2025 (13th Floor Concert Review)
Suicidal Tendencies led by American hardcore punk legend Mike Muir, have spent 40 years creating there own synthesis of punk, hardcore, thrash and metal, an evolving sound that has threatened singles and album charts occasionally, but never left the hearts, minds and ears of their fans, their generations of fans.
Formed in 1980 in Venice, California by Muir, the band member lineup had stoic years between the mid 1980s and mid 1990s, but since their 1995 split and reformation in 1996, has seen the core of Mike Muir and Dean Pleasants (from Muir’s side-hustle Infectious Grooves) operate a membership revolving door policy.
Still, with a slew of memorable songs: I Shot Reagan (1983), Possessed To Skate (1987), Trip At The Brain (1988), How Will I Laugh Tomorrow (1989), and You can’t Bring Me Down (1990) some still in the setlist. The current lineup now includes Tye Trujillo (Past ST bassist and now Metallica member Robert Trujillo’s son), drummer Jay Weinberg of Slipknot fame, and the last originator in Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist Ben Weinman, and with Mike Muir upfront, this is no ringer band doing a welcome sideshow in advance of the next day’s main event tonight.
BIG NOTER
BIG NOTER, are the project of (Australian) First Nations identity MC Briggs (Yorta Yorta), a rapper by origin, but now delving into rap-metal, with two songs online, with a support slot with Tom Morello, and European show with Amyl and The Sniffers, they’ve jumped the ditch from Naarm/Melbourne on their debut tonight in Aotearoa.
To a rap bed, three onstage (drums, bass and guitar), tune up and await MC Biggs to join them. With confident strides, the band launches into a groove, with classic and nu metal riffs. Biggs is a seasoned performer, and his gruff rap style vocals are perfectly balanced within and above his bandmates contribution.
Three or so songs in, the hat comes off! It’s business time!, as the group plays the first of their two single releases – Talk Straight. It’s anthemic, polished and wonderfully diverse, folds itself backwards and forwards into differing tempos and rhythms, it’s obvious the band are tight. There is a crowd upfront, buying into the group, hyped up by MCBiggs skills on stage, and passion in his messages.
Two thirds in and their influences are pronounced, RATM and Body Count, though there is a lot more intricacies than just that duality. The groove is far too smooth and the guitarist (who is wearing a cool “Always Was, Always Will” t-shirt (I want one), alluding to First Nations (Australia), assertion that the land’s sovereignty was never ceded.), know his chops, the riffs are heavy, complex and rhythmic. The band’s second release: Identity comes hither, and again reaches anthemic proportions, Biggs is asking, “So Auckland, do feel like your motherfucking self ?” There’s more, but the two singles stand out, and Big Noter leaves the stage having conquered.
Suicidal Tendencies
Mike Muir’s compadres claim the stage, the riffs and rhythms begin, it’s theatrical as the crowd chant “ST” awaiting the man’s appearance, Suddenly he’s onstage and they kick off into You Can’t Bring Me Down. Like many songs tonight, it is drawn out, almost improvised, but never losing its energy and signature riffs and rhythms. But like Bowie sings on Sound and Vision, it is the pairing with the onstage energy and delivery, whence the magic happens.
They jump back to the 80’s with 1987’s Join The Army and 1983’s I Shot Reagan, throughout guitarist Ben Weinman is achieving amazing acrobatics, all the axes are cordless, so the three are able to move freely around the stage, dodging each other (and Mike Muir) as they inhabit every single nook of their realm tonight. The combination of slick sound, histrionic action and the symbiotic crowd-band relationship, is further melded off by Mike Muir’s talking points and insight for each song, between songs.
The narrator intro to Send Me Your Money, is gold, as is the run of bass solos by Trujillo, not just one, he has Muir, Pleasants and the rest of the band bigging him up, It is quickly followed (after the obligatory Muir words) by a personal highlight/wish, 1987’s War Inside My Head, the crowd go manic singing the chorus, “ST”ing madly, its transporting the room back to first hearing the song, the vibe is further cemented by 1983’s I Saw Your Mommy, coming (relatively) quickly)
The band tonight, are truly at the top of their game, Pleasants‘ guitar is finessed weapon, complimenting, leading, building on Weinman’s unbelievable machinations and theatrics that take him astride the PA stacks several times. Whereas Trujillo looks effortless on bass, focused, acting with precision. Not to be unsung, drummer Jay Weinberg is the powerhouse, the stoic solidifier, with his effortless beats and rhymes that keep the songs together as they, as said before, sometimes extend, restart or take a new path.
Whilst throughout the evening, Muir is baiting the crowd, comfortably, howling syllables, revelling at the improved choruses of ST, and demanding response!. Come How Will I Laugh Tomorrow, with its gentler melodic intro, the song displays Muir’s ability to switch genre’s, as the rock metal anthem dominates the room, and we see a sway rather than a moshpit. But not for long as the final song Pledge Your Allegiance is turned into a closing monster, it’s lyrics possibly lost on many (anti-authority and societal judgment) as they pledge their credence to Suicidal Tendancies, after an eight year abayance
Simon Coffey
Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Thiago Alencar
Suicidal Tendencies:
Big Noter:
Suicidal Tendencies Setlist:
You Can’t Bring Me Down
Join the Army
I Shot Reagan
Freedumb
Send Me Your Money
War Inside My Head
Subliminal
I Saw Your Mommy
Cyco Vision
How Will I Laugh Tomorrow
Pledge Your Allegiance
