The Old Fire Station in Carlisle is a new fantastic arts and entertainment venue for the region. Following the devastating effects of the floods in 2005, the fire station has subsequently been renovated into an impressive arts centre for the city. On Saturday night, The Station played host to an exclusive, intimate indie party with Newcastle’s Little Comets. The freshly released third studio album Hope is Just a State of Mind provided a new batch of tracks to enlighten the crowd with.
The night initiated with support from one of Cumbria’s finest acoustic duos, Paper Cranes. After making the trip up the M6 from Barrow-in-Furness they eased the audience into the evening with chilled, ethereal tracks obtaining similarities to Of Monsters and Men. The duo ended with a sophisticated rendition of ‘No Diggity’, to leave the room in an energised vibe.
Little Comets arrived on stage with their chuck-everything-at-it indie sound. Opening with ‘The Gift of Sound’, the Stella-in-plastic-cup crowd interacted harmoniously to the scattered guitar melodies by jittering rhythmically and head nodding perpetually. Each song lead into the next, with a tropical lightness of Friendly Fires. The assemblage of fans were well and truly enraptured. After being charmed with the enigmatic ‘A Little Opus’, frontman Robert Coles had his first interaction with the spectators. Coles recalled the last time the Comets played in Carlisle, which was at the Brickyard a number of years ago, explaining that it’s been far too long considering the short distance from Newcastle. “There’s only mountains between us. Can I call them mountains? Hills then. In fact what even separates Newcastle and Carlisle?” to which someone shouted: “Alan Shearer”, “Alan Shearer? Carlisle and Newcastle is separated by Alan Shearer. I like that haha”
Little Comets proceeded to please the audience with their tightly structured trademark melodies. Each seemed to tell its own story. ‘B&B’ was described as an emotional song by Robert Coles due to the recent results of the general election, and he expressed that the track is comparable to a specific place in Newcastle that he revisited recently. Other tracks off the new record such as ‘Little Italy’ showcased the musical identity of the Little Comets: songs that encourage you to swing along, yet beneath all the agile hook-laden melodies are lyrics that obtain conscientiousness. Dynamic new tunes like ‘Wherewithal’ and ‘Formula’ captured the room with infectious palm muted guitar charms, funky bass lines and floaty rhythm. ‘My Boy William’ added an element of personal musical legitimacy, being a song written in its entirety to his son. The gig certainly felt like a private exclusive escapade between everyone present.
The set was culminated to a faultless performance with the audience eagerly anticipating which song was going to be played next. Older favourites such as ‘Joanna’ and ‘One Night in October’ were highlight songs of the night. The lively, intricate, engaging composition was well received by everyone in the room by accentuated body swaying and vigorous foot tapping. The night reached its peak as the opulent, ritzy sound of ‘Dancing Song’ released the crowd into a sustained carouse of enjoyable, lively fun.
Little Comets left the stage knowing they conjured up an immaculate set: the audience was left eager for more, successfully entertained and unambiguously handed their pennies worth. The new album was well received and even the more spontaneous attendees left the venue conquered by the Comets.
Words by Aaron Spencer