100% HEAVY / 100% Free / 0% Spam

ANDREW NEUFELD From COMEBACK KID Talks About Next Year’s Australian Tour

Share This:

Interview by Kyra-Jade Coombs

Andrew Neufeld should be no stranger to anyone who loves the hardcore scene.

Canadian band Comeback Kid have been around for over 20 years and show no signs of going anywhere and with good reason. They would have to be one of the most consistently good hardcore in the world. Is there a bad album from these guys? No, and I’d fight you about it! I personally stood up and cheered when I heard they were coming back to our Aussie shores for an 8-stop tour because you know these guys put on one hell of a show.

Their recent album Heavy Steps was recorded during the pandemic, lending them space and time to focus and elevate their music.

It seemed like Andrew was almost surprised that certain songs off this album are getting such an amazing reaction and fans are thrashing them – opposed to their older, already popular material. “It’s Exciting to play new stuff and have people connecting with it”, he enthused. When it comes to nerves when putting out a new album, Andrew’s choice of words was ‘concerned’, which made me laugh. It’s feeling ‘concerned’ about wanting to put out the best material and constantly wanting to one-up themselves to stay relevant in this day and age.

After 20 years of Comeback Kid, I wondered how Andrew and Jeremy Hiebert (guitarist) have kept their passion and ferocity alive. It’s their purest outlet and without this, there would be a huge emptiness. Having that release through their music is super important to them and is the foundation of who they are as people. The pandemic pause only fed the desire and drive to do better and succeed. Andrew spoke of going out to a rehearsal space alone, putting on old Comeback Kid records and screaming along to them to release that energy he would normally get out during live shows. The pandemic took away a lot from us, it would be so difficult as an artist to lose that outlet and have everything bottled up. The fire is still passionately burning for Comeback Kid and keeps the drive to want to do better well and truly ALIVE.

Comeback Kid got the chance to stand in place of Hatebreed at Hellfest 2022 and played the headlining slot on the Warzone Stage, right before Metallica – no pressure boys. Being such a huge and monumental festival, they went all out and hired production for their set and really tried to make it a memorable experience for those watching. You can watch their full performance and I urge you too. It’s the kind of energy Comeback Kid bring to every show and what you can look forward to at their upcoming Aussie shows.

Heavy Steps is the seventh studio LP by Comeback Kid and is a fucking great album. I still had to ask the question if they would be indulging the 15-year-old fan in me and playing their throwback classics. Andrew’s answer was great, “We will never be that band that just forgets about our classics. We can’t forget that for a lot of people Comeback Kid has been a gateway band into hardcore music or a band they listened to when they were a lot younger. We are aware of this and will always make sure we play songs from our first records. There’s a nostalgia factor to our band and we play that up”. I certainly remember sitting on the train listening to these guys on my way to high school and can still picture Comeback Kid album covers on my old iPod nano.

Drain – in Andrew’s words, are one of the most exciting hardcore bands out right now. Comeback Kid feel lucky to have the opportunity to take Drain on their first Australian tour. If you haven’t already, check them out. I was pleasantly surprised by their energy and passion. Their performance at Outbreak Fest 2022 will give you a good feel for their music. It’s so fucking good to see people cutting sick and letting go at shows again and these guys quite literally share their stage and facilitate the hardcore monster in us all.

Check them OUT.

Andrew struck me as a really humble guy and after all that Comeback Kid have accomplished, he would have every right to brag but didn’t gloat once. I really respect that about an artist, and it makes me that much more into them.

Tickets for Comeback Kid’s Australian tour are live now through Destroy All Lines. I urge you to pick up a ticket and fucking UNLEASH: https://destroyalllines.lnk.to/23CBKtix

Discover more like this on HEAVY:

Our Picks.

Get the HEAVY
Digi-Mags!

Get the HEAVY Digi-Mag in-boxed weekly. 100% HEAVY / 0%SPAM.