I’ve seen Little Comets a fair few times in my years in Birmingham, but since the last gig I went to they’ve released their second album and a few EPs. To say the least, I was not disappointed. This gig was in the smaller Library room of the Institute. As I arrived, the bassist Matt was casually having a chat at the back while Catfish & Bottlemen [6/10] successfully warmed up the excited crowd.
After, Rob and Matt set up their own stage; they opened their set with the first song from their album Life is Elsewhere. Little Comets [9/10] gave a passionate, melodic performance; their grins clearly showed their enjoyment, even if they were just laughing at the crowd starting mosh pits in the middle of the most unlikely songs. The first half of their set consisted entirely of songs from their second album, which the crowd sang along to word for word. They did play a couple of the classics of the first album like One Night in October. The beautiful performances of The Blur, the Line and the Thickest of Onions and Coalition of One from The Gentle EP stunned the audience and made my night. I have a lot of respect for bands who write lyrics that actually mean something in society today; violence against women, the current economic plight. It gives so much depth to their live performance, you really can’t ask for any more. The mix between slower and more upbeat songs was also much appreciated.
Little Comets are notorious for not giving encores, but the Birmingham crowd enthusiastically chanting “we want more!” over and over again seems to have done the trick, much to the jealousy of fans in other cities. The frontman Rob said they didn’t have anything prepared which incited the audience to shout requests which they granted. Much to my delight, they played Adultery and Mathilda. I’ve been seeing these guys for 4 years now and what strikes me is that they are as humble as they were when they started out. They set up their own stage, sell their own merch and are more than happy to sign t-shirts, CDs and tickets alike. And of course, have a little chat with you and say thank you for coming.
I rarely spend entire days after gigs listening to one artist. Little Comets, you have outdone yourselves!
Cathy Baylis
Photo provided by Hall or Nothing PR
