“It’s been a contrast of emotions. We’ve been up early in the morning then going to bed late. London to Newcastle is quite a journey and took a lot out of us. But it’s been quite emotional as well. It’s like stepping back in time for us, but also for audiences as well.”
September 2023 saw Little Comets return from a two-year hiatus as headliners for Generator Live Festival, hosted by Boiler Shop. Since then, they have played across the country, most recently selling out two double headers in London and Newcastle.
“We’ve been playing the first and second albums in full, which takes you back twelve, thirteen, fourteen years. All four crowds were different, but all lovely. A really nice week looking back on it.”
Halloween saw the Jarrow- and Washington-born outfit return to the Cluny, a grassroots music institution, where Rob and Micky (Rob’s brother and the band’s lead guitarist) played their first gig as a couple of mid-teens.
“It was lovely to play the Cluny again. It hasn’t changed. You can’t help but think about all the other rooms we’ve played in Newcastle, because it’s where we’ve played the most. It brings it all back, the journey we’ve been on.” And what a journey it has been.
From ‘ambush gigs’ at the back of the lecture theatres, shops, and metro carriages in the noughties, to tours of Europe and the US, Little Comets have released four albums and many more singles in the process. In that time, the local lads have paved the way for some of indie’s biggest names, offering support slots to the likes of The 1975 and Catfish and the Bottlemen early on in their respective careers.
An ever-present has been the Little Comets faithful. “You see people in the crowd who have been twenty times, especially in the North East, who would have been there when we were playing gigs at the ages of sixteen, seventeen.”
“It’s nice to catch up with people. There was one mother there who makes a point of seeing us twice a year with her daughter who fortunately happened to be home from New Zealand when we were playing. It’s little things like that - the human interaction. It’s a lovely feeling.”
The indie veterans are now warming up for a big 2025 as their attention turns once again to creation, an untitled fifth album in the works. “We want to get in the habit of releasing new music again. For the new album, we have four or five songs done so far out of eleven or twelve total.”
Speaking of the band’s current creative approach, Rob reveals an unwritten rule: “Every song we release has to make you feel something. It’s not a specific statement, lyrical issue, or sound. But the songs we choose to record now have that slightly deeper emotional connection - a bit more personal. A lot of them have the theme of healing and reconciling, so maybe feel a little softer.”
Operating under their own label, The Smallest Label, and with all production handled in-house by ‘perfectionist’ Micky, Little Comets are as indie as they come, and no strangers to the graft demanded by their ruthless industry.
Seven years since their last album, Rob spoke of new challenges. “Life is more complicated now. We’re all dads, I lecture in Music Business, and Micky coaches tennis, so fitting everything in can be a challenge. That has been the biggest barrier this time round.”
But challenge breeds creativity, and for those familiar with Rob’s unique vocals taking centre-stage, the new album may include one surprise borne from the days of social distancing.
“During COVID, when we couldn’t get in the studio, Micky started writing songs on his own that he now has fully formed with his vocals as well, which I think work really well with his voice. They’re quite mellow, but also really raw emotionally. So I’d like to have a couple of those songs where it’s Micky singing, but that’s a work in progress, convincing him to do that!”
Fans will first be able to experience Little Comets’ new music live when the band visit familiar stomping ground Pop Recs in Sunderland in early spring 2025, with the new album’s release - and a grand return to Newcastle - slated for autumn 2025.