Silverstein & Comeback Kid
22nd May 2017
Whammy! Bar, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Molly O’Brien. Photography by Molly O’Brien & Connor Crawford.
Underneath the dreary Tuesday night battering Auckland’s K Road lay a sweaty, electric pool of punters amped for the familiar sounds of Canadian born crowd chants – a midweek jamboree full of smiles and the usual suspects. Notable veterans of the hardcore punk scene Comeback Kid joined arms with quintessential emo punks Silverstein to deliver a sonic boom of pure pack mentality, filling Whammy Bar with animation and fire from beer covered floor to low rise ceiling.
Despite forming in 2002 Comeback Kid haven’t slowed by a second, frontman Andrew Neufeld sparing no intensity when busting out the odd classic two step as if it were a fireside religious ritual, cult like surges of movement framed by crowdsurfers a plenty. It’s rare and incredible to hear a bands mid-set cry of “we love this country!” with clear conviction; Comeback Kid’s authentic spirit behind their music brightened the entire room and truly set it off with a performance of their 2014 track ‘Wasted Arrows’, (off their fifth album ‘Die Knowing’), causing a rabid chemical reaction and transforming the crowd into human pop rocks with a desperate taste for mic grabs.
Although facing the daunting task of following such a quality set Silverstein surprised no one by pulling through with ease, soaring through their almost 18 year long bopping discography to toy with our nostalgia in the best of ways. A classic high school soundtrack for most, Silverstein served bangers that pulled lyrics from hearts unaware that they still held them; the pit occasionally drowning out the speakers with what one can only imagine as memories of adolescent garage bands and badly done dye jobs.
Lead guitarist and backing vocalist Paul Marc Rousseau surprised all with a stripped back lone performance of ‘Arrivals’ from their 2013 album ‘This Is How The Wind Shifts’, stating that this was the farthest away from home he’d ever gotten an opportunity to perform this song. Impressively holding captivation through two token slow songs Silverstein built their energy back through the roof in a smooth wave, eventually tossing aside an acoustic guitar as the drum and bass kicked back in to finish their set on a high note.
Whammy Bar has a knack for forcing the thriving Auckland music community together, (achieving this equally through a small capacity and a unique welcoming secret club house atmosphere), but both Comeback Kid and Silverstein deserve to be commended on providing such a wholesome experience and displaying the true family we have within hardcore – all in all absolutely well worth the wait for their return and that special lingering mosh pit foot smell.
Comeback, Kids!
Silverstein:
Comeback Kid:
Were you there at Whammy! Bar for this high energy hardcore punk gig? Or have you seen Silverstein or Comeback Kid perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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