Thursday night on the Cowley Road, Oxford. It’s drizzly outside but warm in the O2 Academy, and as we enter we’re greeted by a steward who informs us of the forthcoming entertainment and hopes we enjoy the evening. So for some ale and to find a good spot to stand to see Little Comets.
It’s good to see a band self-roadieing – setting up – as well as hanging percussion instruments from a string strung above them, from one side of the stage to the other. After a short while they return to the stage, introducing themselves as coming from Newcastle and belt into their first song “Adultery” which is their new single and a damn good one to put out there.
The singer/guitarist Robert Coles is an interesting frontman cavorting around the stage strumming his guitar. They create a positive on-stage vibe which reverberates into the audience and I’m sure that tonight they would have scored themselves yet more fans as they continue their tour with the Noisettes.
They’re a good live band to see, in the same shop as Razorlight, The Twang and Franz Ferdinand. Lots of energy and an enthusiasm for playing live is always a good thing.
After their set and the obligatory queue at the bar for more refreshments, we mug some students off a leather sofa and rest our legs for half an hour until it’s time to get to the front, or as near as possible, to get a good look at the Noisettes. We manage to get close enough to see what is going on.
For some reason the drums are set up on the left side of the stage, which makes it difficult to see drummer Jamie Morrison and the backing vocalist is on a platform in the centre at the back… Anyway, they open up with “Wild Young Hearts” and Shingai straps on her bass and whips the audience up. This is the busiest I’ve seen the Oxford O2 for quite awhile so hats off to the Noisettes for playing their publicity cards all the right way.
They have the whole place in a party mood, you would think it was still the summer outside. They work the stage brilliantly, you wouldn’t believe that they had only been around for just six years.
I would say that the Noisettes are well worth the money for a fun night out, probably one of the best live bands on the scene for that good time vibe. I think they will be around for many years and could be one of those acts that get better with every album they produce.
Buy Music:
Noisettes on amazon.co.uk
Noisettes MySpace
Little Comets Official Website
By: Dave Tommo