Canada does so much so well, two of those things are in the way of post-hardcore pioneers SILVERSTEIN and the long-running hard-core outfit COMEBACK KID. The Two have joined forces and are touring our great southern land playing tonight at a packed out 170 Russell in MELBOURNE.

Comeback Kid takes to the stage first, they had come to raise hell and raise hell they did. From the opening track of G.M Vincent & I the band had more energy in them than an atomic bomb. Such ferocity was in their musical attack, the two guitarists exploding Comeback Kids’ signature sound out of the speakers as frontman Andrew Neufeld belted out his voice. The crowd was screaming back every lyric, their fists raised towards the stage, the mosh going stronger than ever and those who went over the barrier would get their chance to hold the mike and belt out the words as frontman Andrew spent most of the time down there with the crowd. No-one was going to be kicked out for having a good time and expressing themselves that’s for sure, so good to see and experience the all-out intensity of Comeback Kids’ riotous live show, especially up so close.

These guys just don’t let up as they rip into one song after another, heavy hitter after heavy hitter, that Melbourne bounce was in full effect. Playing All in A Year, one of the first songs ever written by them along with more recent songs Die KnowingWasted Arrows and Surrender Control the stage was awash in smoke and light would flash in time to the beat of the drum. There was so much support in the room you could tell the band had been itching to come back here and we have been itching to see them again. In the end, they really tried to bring the place to its knees with the driving force of their instruments on set finisher Wake the Dead. The Melbourne crowd tonight was everything the band could have asked for as they gave their all as they moshed and screamed, come back real soon Comeback Kid.

We are kept entertained with a few classic punk tracks, then it just cuts to some distortion, a voice is speaking but we can’t hear what it’s saying, then Silverstein hit the stage jumping high up to the rafters. It’s like the energy from Comeback Kid was left behind on the stage and it is now propelling Silverstein even higher, the opening track is Ghost off their latest album Dead Reflection which is an album that made SCENEzines top ten of 2017. They finish that off and head straight into something older Bleed No More.  

The band is only just getting warmed up as the bodies on the dance floor bounce up and down and hurl themselves against each other. I loved every track off Dead Reflection and tonight they played quite a few from it, Retrograde and Whiplash were just part of the standouts. And whilst I was not alone in my love of the new, things always get shifted into a higher gear when they play the old stuff and with such an extensive back catalogue, old-school fans were not left disappointed when tracks like Sound of the Sun, ArrivalsA Midwestern State of Emergency and Smile in Your Sleep are played. The response is always one of excitement with the crowd raising their hands in approval, rushing towards the stage, keeping that mosh pit going more and more as we throw ourselves violently around and scream out what’s inside. This would reflect onto the stage as the dual guitarist move relentlessly across it and become the driving force of what keeps us going. We scream and sing along as Shane swaps from scream to harmony, his voice is awe-inspiring. The Melbourne vibe in the room simply crushing it as we jump from the left to the right and front to back.

All that energy and chaos gets slowed down for a slow sad song as guitarist Paul Marc Rousseau gives us a song about a girl who doesn’t talk to him anymore standing on his own with the lighting just illuminating him, the crowd providing backup vocals it was a sweet moment amongst the chaos. Shane walks back out on stage with his acoustic in hand, we are still feeling good out here as he begins to play for us another sad song My Heroine. Things ramp quickly back up and we are given one last chance to open up the circle pit for Broken Stars, but this crowd isn’t willing to let things end there. As we chant and clap our efforts are rewarded and they leave us with two more classics in Discovering the Waterfront and Afterglow.

Tonight’s show just proves that SILVERSTEIN and COMEBACK KID still have plenty of fire left in them and there is no settling, there is no stopping them and they will give nothing less than everything for us, the fans, the faithful. Live music is alive and well in Melbourne and you should catch this Canadian Invasion before it is gone.

 

 

  

 

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