After spending the last year disassembling and rebuilding his robotic band, Greg Locke is back with The Trons who are sporting new arms, instruments and a supercharged control system.

The Hamilton robot garage band has four members - Hornhead (lead guitar and vox), Swamp (drums), Motorfinger (guitar) and Farfisa (keyboards) - each made from recycled materials and salvaged electronics.

The Trons will perform on Friday night as a part of the Hamilton Fringe Festival, which will be the band's first gig since its revamp.

The robots play regular instruments and perform original songs, with live video feeds from the machines to add to the show.

"It's visually quite mad, as well as interesting," Mr Locke said.

He said the project, which first featured in the 2008 Fringe Festival, was a great way to combine his interests and skills, and produce something unique.

“I'd always been playing in bands, but my work was in electronics so this has been a great way to mesh the two,” he said.

In a break from touring, he said he was delighted to be able to spend time improving the band last year while using them for a project in his media arts study at Wintec.

As for Friday, he said fans could expect a great show with a bunch of new elements, including a bit of freestyling from the band.

"Some of the band members can make up their own bits now, sometimes it sounds a bit naff but other times they come out with some great riffs."

The Fringe Festival show will see The Trons joined by three other interesting acts.

Garage psychobillies The Redheads hit the stage fresh from their recent debut, while stormtrooper-clad duo Rumple and Stiltskin work household appliances into their drum-and-bass antics.

The Cult of the Dead Light-Bulb is a multimedia project by Hamilton film-maker Emit Snakebeings.

The event, titled Return of the Freakin' Hamiltrons, is at Biddy Mulligans on September 21 from 9pm.

- © Fairfax NZ News