Lorna Shore – Powerstation, 28 October 2026: Review & Photo Galleries

Sherry Naidoo and Photos by Leonie Moreland

29th October 2026

Seeing Lorna Shore live was something I never thought I’d get the chance to do, let alone in front of a sold-out crowd at the Powerstation. Their first New Zealand tour has clearly been a long time coming, and Wednesday night proved just how much anticipation had built. An unforgettable night that exceeded every expectation. After this performance, I wouldn’t recommend passing up the opportunity.

Organectomy

Arriving at 7.45 pm, I thought I was early. Instead, I walked into an already packed Powerstation, with Organectomy giving it everything on stage. Formed in Christchurch in 2010, the death metal band made an immediate impression, commanding the room with relentless intensity and numerous bass drops.

The crowd was already in a trance, and it was hard to believe that I had only been there for ten minutes. The band delivered a stunner of an opening set, proudly representing Christchurch. The vocalist commanded the stage, asking the everyone to join them in the euphoria of their closing song, a new track.

Organectomy proved to be the perfect opener, warming up the crowd for the chaos still to come.

The Acacia Strain

Next up were American metalcore The Acacia Strain, founded in 2001 and based in Albany, New York. The band has released thirteen albums.

No time was wasted turning up the intensity, with vocalist Vincent Bennett calling for a circle pit during their opening song. Their constant intensity begging the crowd to give it their all. The mosh pit reciprocates.

Bennett expressed his gratitude for finally playing in New Zealand, particularly alongside one of his favourite bands, Organectomy. It was a genuine moment of appreciation amid the mayhem.

Nick Chance later joined the band on stage for a song, pushing the intensity up another notch. The performance culminated in Bennett throwing his microphone into the air before giving up and momentarily leaving the stage – the crowd having a little laugh.

The heavy breakdowns were the star of their set. Unfortunately, the wall of death didn’t go off as expected, falling a little flat. Several water bottles were sacrificed along the way, adding to the spectacle. While they left the crowd even more hyped, a few more hardcore fans would have helped the circle pits and calls to stage dive.

Lorna Shore

The anticipation reached another level as Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse Of The Heart played over the speakers. Then came silence, quickly filled by the crowd chanting Lorna Shore’s name. Shadows of the band members appeared as they took their positions, building the tension before launching straight into Oblivion.

Within ten seconds, I was done for. I knew I was going to be hooked.

Formed in New Jersey in 2009, Lorna Shore have carved out their place in modern deathcore. The current line-up features vocalist Will Ramos, lead guitarist Adam De Micco, rhythm guitarist Andrew O’Connor, drummer Austin Archey and bassist Michael Yager.

Ramos, who joined as the band’s permanent vocalist in 2021, has become one of the genre’s most recognisable frontmen. His extraordinary vocal range and signature pink hair have made him a social media favourite. I first discovered the band through Instagram, watching vocal coaches react to his seemingly impossible techniques. Seeing him perform in person was something else entirely. His reputation may have preceded him, but nothing quite prepares you for hearing those vocals live.

I was blown away. I had expected a great show, but this surpassed every expectation. For once, my Instagram algorithm had done something genuinely useful.

The band even took a moment to acknowledge the audience’s costumes. With Halloween just around the corner, the Powerstation had attracted a few nuns and even a giraffe.

While the band are used to playing larger venues, performing in the smaller, more intimate Powerstation was a refreshing change for them and an extraordinary treat for fans. During War Machine, a few brave fans finally began crowd surfing. The circle pit erupted a couple of songs later, as the crowd gradually surrendered to the music.

The breakdowns were unlike anything I had experienced before. Dark, doomy and utterly overwhelming, they seemed to hit somewhere beyond the physical. At times, I genuinely felt as though my soul had left my body.

There was a change of pace with Glenwood, which Ramos dedicated to his dad. The melodic guitar work shifted the atmosphere, while bright lights illuminated the room. It was a good reminder we were all here together. This might be one of my highlights from the night. After getting the sad song out of the way it was time for Prison Of Flesh, with Nick Chance also joining on stage. This was then followed by the Pain Remains trilogy.

Before the final song, Ramos took time to speak to the crowd. He expressed how grateful the band were to finally play in New Zealand and thanked everyone for bringing such incredible energy. As he put it, “No show is fun unless everyone is having a great time.”

Then came To The Hellfire. The crowd finally had its chance to sing along, throwing themselves into the closing moments with everything they had left. The song was a fitting finale, bringing the performance to an end. While Lorna Shore didn’t have the pyro that has featured in some of their larger shows, it made absolutely no difference. The music, musicianship and sheer force of the performance were more than enough. Nothing felt missing.

From the opening notes of Oblivion to the final moments of To The Hellfire, Lorna Shore delivered a show that was impressive and powerful. To see a band capable of commanding arenas perform in a venue as intimate as the Powerstation was exhilarating and an absolute joy to witness.