EPK

Default Mode are an alt / noise / freak rock band from Wellington, New Zealand.

Unplug, free your mind, reclaim your attention, scroll life. Default Mode write loud, twitchy original songs to get your freak on.

Formed in 2024 from the ashes of The Yes Men, and At Risk Youth, with members of Wholesale Drainage, Gravey, Ampersand, Motorsheep, k1500 project, Dukes of Leisure. We’ve played together as musicians over a good number of years and this is our latest incarnation.

We have a recording of 8 original songs in progress, recorded at Toi Poneke, Wellington. Stay tuned!

Default Mode made their live debut at Valhalla in June 2026, opening the bill alongside Because Robots and Lazy Susan.

Recent recordings include the tracks Heart Attack, Closer, and Don’t Shoot the Messenger. Watch and listen on the music page.

Press photos: Lawrence Hodson.

Line-up

Four-piece: guitar/vocals, guitar, bass, drums.

Power

• 3 × 230V 10A circuits on stage (minimum).

Backline (provided by us unless agreed otherwise)

• Guitar amps × 2 (we bring our own heads and cabs)
• Bass rig (head + 4×10 cab)
• Drum kit: kick, snare, hi-hats, rack tom, floor tom, stands, pedals — we bring our own cymbals (2 crashes, sometimes a china), snare drum and breakables

Monitors

• 4 wedge monitors with at least 2 mixes. The drum wedge prefers no drums in the mix — bass, guitars and vocals only.

DI / mic list

Stage plot

Our stage plot and input list are also available as PDFs in Downloads.

“Shit! If i knew it was going to be *that* kinda party, i would've stuck my **** in the mashed potato!”

— The Beastie Boys