Comeback Kid
Sam Woodgate caught up with Comeback Kid at this year's Ghostfest.
The name 'Comeback Kid' always evokes imagery of a resilient, defiant nature; was that the intention when you named the band all those years ago?
Yeah, I think we always wanted to have a positive vibe around the band, it's that idea of maybe being 'down-and-out' but bouncing back. I think it's something that people can relate to at some point or other in their life, when they need to 'comeback' and get back up and on top of things.
Comeback Kid's music is typically very energetic and driven; what sort of bands were you inspired by?
I think with Comeback Kid what you see is where we're at - I'm just a very energetic person in real life, it comes naturally! Bands like Sick of it All, Madball - older bands that have a lot of energy onstage - are the ones that probably influence us the most.
What are your plans concerning the new Comeback Kid record?
Well we're not in any huge rush to put anything new out right now, but let's say we're working on it. We don't have any set time for recording anything but we're definitely on with it. Andrew and I do most of the writing, but we're not setting any actual time for it just yet. It should be ready to record sometime next year!
I was actually lucky enough to catch you at Leeds festival last year, and will be doing likewise at Hevy this year. Do you approach these larger festival dates in a different way to club shows?
I guess to some degree yeah; club shows are where we feel most comfortable and at home- it's a small place packed full of kids who know the words. At a festival such as Leeds or Download you're always likely to end up playing to people who are more curious; they might have heard the name but won't have heard the music or seen the band before, so yeah it'll be a totally different environment, but there's definitely something in the challenge of winning people at a festival that is different to club performances.
Would you say there's more pressure playing as a headline or a support band?
Oh, definitely a headliner! Yeah, support is, I think, a lot less nerve-wracking; you don't have to end the show with a bang, if it goes over it goes over, if it doesn't there's still the headliner, haha! We enjoy playing wherever on a bill - we do our own tours, we don't mind jumping on a tour with bands that are bigger than us.
Are there any bands here today you're particularly looking forward to seeing?
Well unfortunately we'll have to leave pretty much directly after our set; we're playing a festival in Germany tomorrow, so we have a long drive ahead of us! It's just one of those things where we have stuff like interviews to fit in, then get ready for the show and unfortunately we don't have much time to check out anyone else playing. I can hopefully pop my head through the door for a few, though!
Considering the fact that Comeback Kid are doubtless one of the older bands on the bill, how do you feel about the possibility that you yourselves may be considered to be an inspiration for some of the bands playing this weekend?
Well I realise now that we're older than the average band and I think it's important to try and be aware that we may be role models to some degree. It feels kind of weird but I guess it sort of comes with the territory - we need to accept that we've been around a long time now, and that's the reality of the music business, older bands that have been around a while will probably influence younger ones; I know that's how it was for me!
In light of the critical acclaim that greeted your last album, 'Symptoms + Cures', are you going to make efforts to change the sound that brought you such success?
We have four records out now and the thing with us is that we have our parameters as a band; we know what our sound is, but at the same time we're never going to put the same record out twice. All the records fit under this sort of umbrella, but none of them sound exactly the same as the previous one, so I think this will continue with the new record - we'll learn from what we did on our last record and hopefully make another record that people can get into again, but it won't sound exactly the same.
Your last UK tour was the Never Say Die! Tour a while back; have you got any plans to come back any time soon?
Well it's probably a little early to be saying stuff just yet as it's not 100% confirmed, but early next year we're going to be doing another tour - we'll probably be supporting this time - but it'll be Europe and the UK. I'm not sure how many UK dates there'll be but I'm pretty sure there'll be a few!
What are your for the next 12 months?
Right now we're talking about the new record, so hopefully to get that written and out. We're also working on getting some dates out for North America for Fall and Winter, so that will probably fill up some time, but after that we're gonna be taking a bit of time off. We have one festival in California that we're playing but after that it'll be a bit of downtime; hopefully lots of biking and lots of running!
Thank you for your time and good luck with the show tonight!
