Live Review: Little Comets - O2 Academy, Oxford 16/04/18
Little Comets are pure musicians through and through and they brought their lyrical genius and blissful harmonies to Oxfords O2 Academy.
Wearing their trademark sweaters and their musical equipment adorned with provocative and profound scribblings, Little Comets treat their dedicated audience to an array of classics and a spattering of tunes from their fourth studio album, Worhead. My personal stand out track of the new material tonight was “À bientôt”, it gives way to a futuristic dystopian vibe which is totally different to their usual quirky indie pop sound, but this track opens up the room to the genuine talent that accompanies singer Robert Coles on stage.
Latest single M62 goes down a treat, it's Buddy Holly 1950's vibes is enough to get anyone up on their feet. The rest of the night features the usual suspects, A Little Opus, Little Italy, My Boy William and The Blur The Line And The Thickest Of Onions. Despite these being all classic tracks, the whole night lacks any sense of gravitas or grandeur, and it pains me to write that because Little Comets are band I can listen to endlessly. The Thickest Of Onions is epically beautiful and will forever be a favourite of mine.
Perhaps the reason for my disillusion lies in them being too clever for their own good? Robert Coles has such a beautiful and unique voice and their lyrics are poignant and thought provoking, but they aren't the easiest of lyrics to sing along too. That being said, they head into the encore with Hunter and One Night In October, two songs that contradict what I just said, because both tracks are crying out to be defining sing-along songs. One Night In October in particular gets the full co-operation of the whole room and it feeds perfectly into the last tracks of the evening.
A brief break and Coles emerges on to the stage and offers up a sincere solo acoustic rendition of Coalition Of One before being joined by the rest of the band for Bridge Burn, Joanna and the all round belter Dancing Song. It's not a Little Comets gig without them ending on this gem. Little Comets will forever have a special place in my heart, but in a live setting they need to incorporate some fun and bit of magic. Music is just as much a visual experience as it is auditory. I still highly recommend you go see them as their musical talent still shines through brightly.
Words and Photography by Rachel Prew