Tour news: Evanescence, A Day to Remember, Alabama 3, Smash Hits 70s

Evanescence are coming to New Zealand in March. Photo / Supplied

When goth-rock-pop band Evanescence last played in New Zealand in 2007, it was frontwoman Amy Lee who was the star of the show because the rest of the band were lacklustre.

Five years on, let's hope they are in better form, after news they are set to play Vector Arena on March 31 in support of their self-titled third album released late last year.

They broke through in 2003 with a haunting, classically influenced brand of hard rock on songs like Bring Me To Life off breakthrough debut album Fallen.

They followed it up in 2006 with The Open Door which included hits Call Me When You're Sober and Lithium.

Lee is the one constant in the band since they formed in the mid 90s in Little Rock, Arkansas; over the years there have been a number of line-up changes, most notably founding guitarist, and Lee's good friend, Ben Moody, leaving in 2003 during the tour for Fallen due to creative and personal tensions.

Evanescence have sold nearly 25 million albums worldwide, and 125,000 in New Zealand alone.

Supporting Evanescence are Blaqk Audio, the electronic side-project of Davey Havok and Jade Puget from emotional art punk band AFI.

Tickets on sale February 9 at Ticketmaster with pre-sales running from February 3-7.

Meanwhile, tickets go on sale today for A Day to Remember, the Florida band whose combination of hardcore, metal and pop punk has seen them hit the big time and who are one of the headliners of Australia's Soundwave Festival at the end of the month.

They play the Logan Campbell Centre on February 23 along with a hard, fast and melodic local contingent made up of Antagonist A.D., Snakes of Iron, and 'Til Death Do Us Party.

Tickets, which are only $69, are on sale from Ticketmaster.

British roots, country and groove band Alabama 3 - perhaps most famous for the song Woke Up This Morning, which became the theme to The Sopranos - play the Powerstation on March 22.

It will be an "acoustic and unplugged" show by a four-piece version of the group made up of founder Larry Love (vocals), Aurora Dawn (vocals), Rock Freebase (guitar), and Harpo Strangelove (harmonica).

Pre-sale tickets on sale February 7 (general sales Feb 9) from muchmoremusic.co.nz and powerstation.net.nz

Also on tour are The New Seekers' Eve Graham and Paper Lace's Philip Wright, who will be performing on the Smash Hits 70s tour throughout April and May.

The 12 date national tour commences in Hamilton at Founders Theatre on April 28 and visits Auckland, Tauranga, Rotorua, Hastings, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Wellington, Greymouth, Christchurch and Dunedin, concluding in Invercargill on May 12.

For more information and ticketing details, click here.

-TimeOut