Band of the Week: Little Comets

Guerrilla gigs -- in rock history we've had rooftop invasions (the Beatles), Tube station takeovers (The Others), impromptu house parties (the Libertines) and gigs on the back of lorries (U2). Little Comets, however, take their performances all the way to the lecture hall.

The Newcastle-Upon-Tyne quartet have made a name for themselves rushing into university lecture halls and playing quickfire sets of their Afrobeat-inflected guitar pop at campuses near the River Tyne. It's an environment which certainly suits their smarty-pants sound. There aren't many bands who'd slip words like "invective," "cavorting" or "perspiring" into a three-minute pop song (Vampire Weekend notwithstanding) but Little Comets do.

If there's a pop song more likely to get you jumping from your seat than 'Adultery,' the lead track off the band's 'Adultery' EP out on Columbia on Monday (Oct. 26) , then Spinner is yet to hear it.

A cautionary tale of keeping on the straight and narrow, it's the perfect example of Little Comets' sparkling wit and way with words. Singer Robert Coles sounds like he can barely keep a grin off his face, as the song swoops from Jam-esque power pop to the kind of crescendo that brightens up British Sea Power's best moments, all enlivened by the kind of kitchen-sink storytelling Squeeze made their own.

There's plenty more waiting in the wings; 'One Night in October' certainly only adds to the Vampire Weekend comparisons, while the clattering 'Mathilda' and the plaintive 'Joanna' hint at everything from Mumford and Sons to early Police.

Currently on tour round the UK with the Noisettes, Little Comets have been busy in France working on their debut album which is expected to be released in the new year.

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