Little Comets Live @ Norwich Arts Centre
Little Comets are pretty much a cut above the dirge of current indie bands doing the rounds right now. The debut album ‘In Search Of The Elusive Little Comets’ was just released, and the supporting tour hit Norwich last week. A packed Art’s Centre seemed to mostly consist of college girls. Local support The Cads failed to cut much appeal. I would love to be able to say otherwise, but their tired imitation of Vampire Weekend left me scampering for the sanctuary of the bar!
Main tour support was in the form of up-and-coming Manchester indiepop band Big Sleep. The punchy guitars and vocals alongside a certain Manchester swagger meant there was a lot to enjoy about their short set. I was happy to stand and watch the whole thing, as did much of the crowd. They are certainly a band well worth keeping an eye on.
The front of the stage was adorned with all manner of percussion instruments: pots & pans as well as tambourines strung up. Not quite the scale of crash helmets a la Arcade Fire but they defiantly added to one of the standout tracks of the set, ‘One Night In October’. What Little Comets do they do well. I found the upbeat mood of the set infectious, with plenty of sing-a-long choruses and superb harmonies.
Vocally distinctive, Robert Coles leads well from the front. ‘Joanna’ certainly showed his full range and was a real crowd pleaser alongside recent single ‘Isles’. Having said that, they are very much a collective effort. Drummer Mark Harle is certainly a cut above many of his peers. I left the venue with a sense of well being and a reminder that alongside being studied seriously, music is also meant to be fun, and a night with Little Comets is certainly that!
Many thanks to Steve Hunt from http://www.cabbagecreekphotography.com/ who gives his time and services free to BIYL as well as giving me a lift to the venue!
Despite the fact that Big Sleep as of yet have no website or Facebook page, the video they recorded has amazingly racked up over 30,000 hits in just a few weeks.
I like the cut of this review, punchy and fun,in keeping with the style of the Little Comets themselves. A good night, I find their music just makes me want to move….not good when you’re supposed to be doing the photo’s!!!!