Little Comets

"A lot of bands don’t pay attention to details. We pay attention to too many details. We have problems.” Self-diagnosed problems aside, it’s the details that make this Newcastle four-piece so special. Whether they’re sellotaping up pianos in the studio for their first album, or working out exactly how David Bowie would reveal their dream festival, the little things are critically important to Little Comets.

Eagerly hunched onto a single armchair, upstairs in Southampton’s Joiners, they’re certainly friendlier than a lot of bands. The prospect of being interviewed by a stranger actually seems to be exciting to them, where others would find it daunting, or probably just a bit dull. The personal touch shows through in their relationship with their fans as well, “We’re really trying to make as much of the music available as possible. If someone sends us an email, we’ll send one back saying ‘Do you want some free songs?’” It’s a refreshing attitude to have at a time when music is becoming more commercial than ever, and such a small number of people at major labels dominate the industry. Money and commercial acclaim are obviously not the things that Little Comets strive for. Having only released two singles so far, the release of their debut album has been delayed for a number of reasons.

Despite reaching a height many bands aspire to, by getting signed to a major label last year, they won’t be releasing the album on Columbia. “It was a total nightmare” says drummer Mark on working with the big label, “It’s like waking up in the mornings to brush your teeth and them saying ‘What toothpaste are you going to use?’” continues bassist Matt. “As much as they didn’t work with us, we didn’t fit that model, and looking back, it’s a model we’d never fit.” The decision to go it alone definitely makes sense for a band like this. “We like to be in control. It’s our thing.”

Wasted time spent conforming to a major label’s model is time that could have been spent elsewhere, on more important, musical aspects of the band. “We don’t record in a studio now so we’re not really hemmed in by anytime constraints. We spend hours experimenting with the tiniest things like the room, or selloptaping a piano up so it’ll only resonate in one chord, and then playing things through it. Really stupid things.” While some may see this kind of attention to detail unnecessary, it gives the band personality and it’s clear that they spend a lot of time perfecting their music. A string of percussion instruments hung across the top of the stage is visible at every gig, as well a beaten up tambourine and a cymbal with what looks like a biscuit tin duct taped to it. With so much going on, their gigs could easily be a complete shambles. In actual fact, their performances are tighter than the bassist’s Adidas sports shirt –which is dangerously close to skin-tight.

The fact that they’re Geordies prompts some rather unimaginative, geographical comparisons with Maximo Park and The Futureheads, and for the slightly more inventive, ‘A northern Vampire Weekend’. In reality they take influence from a much broader range of sources. As well as citing Debussy and Einstein on their Myspace, their dream festival would have an interesting line-up. “Paul Simon would close it” fantasises frontman Rob, “Bowie would open it, at ten at night, and at the end of his set the stage would rise up in the air and reveal the rest of the festival.” It doesn’t stop there either. “I’d like to have Rage Against The Machine playing in a tent…no, a pit, with a destruction derby going on around the outside. At the end of the festival, all of the bands would leave on a precession of elephants, led by Bowie holding…fireballs.”

Back in the real world, they’ve been making a name for them selves by showing off their cheery, limb-loosening guitar pop in an array of unlikely, uninformed venues, including trams, lecture halls and Mark’s and Spencer’s. They’ve got ambitions for more as well; a Sunday church service, the back of a van on the Tyne Bridge and perhaps the most ambitious, a play on the London Underground’s Circle Line. “Or a festival where different bands get on and off at each stop…with Bowie.”

The album is due for release this September and with a following as loyal and enthusiastic as theirs, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t do well. However if it doesn’t all go to plan, they’ve got a contingency arrangement. “We were saying it would be so good if we all had kids and they met up, happened to be musicians, formed a band, and got massive! We haven’t got kids…well” Until any littler Comets come along, these ones should do just fine.