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Little Comets Interview

P: Could you explain to anyone who doesn’t really know, what is Little Comets? What kind of sound is it?

LC: I dunno, it’s just.. a group of people who play music together? Best way to say it

P: How do you think your sound develops from the start of your band to how it is now?

LC: Well, hopefully we’re heading in the right direction…

P: Do you think it’s changing quite a lot? Do you think you’re still in progress?

LC: Yeah I think we always will be. As songwriters, we tend to progess through different sounds quite quickly, I think. Although some people might listen to our music and think it all sounds exactly the same but to us it sounds very different. I think there’s a bit more space in the second album and I think, lyrically, it’s a bit tighter. It’s a better album lyrically, the second album than the first album.

P: In previous interviews you’ve said a lot of your stuff is quite political…

LC: Bits and bobs of it yeah

P: Do you think it’s quite important to a song to have an actual message?

LC: Yeah I do, it’s nice to try and write about a range of issues. Some songs that we’ve got aren’t about anything, which is fine, but I think at some point you should try and say something. There’s a lot of music that you hear and just doesn’t actually make sense, if you read the lyrics you wouldn’t really understand.

P: So do you think it actually works, having a message through music? Or is it falling on deaf ears because chart music doesn’t make sense?

LC: I don’t know, I think we’re quite selfish and write for ourselves, like music’s our way of expressing ourselves. So if it falls on deaf ears then fair enough, but we feel compulsion to write and record it. If people like it then they like, if they don’t then it’s a shame but ultimately, we do it for ourselves I think.

P: So would you say there’s a particular message on the new album?

LC: I think certain songs are about certain things, not sure if you could group the songs together into specific lyrical themes. There’s quite a few songs which are in the train of the first album, be about an aspect of a relationship. I think there are a couple of songs which are about abusive relationships, I think that’s quite an under-represented issue in society. I heard something on the radio says ‘Worldwide, 4/10 women are affected by domestic violence in their lives’ and if you think about it, that’s a pretty stunning statistic for how much you hear about it. I think that’s a really important issue. I just think the way this country is, there’s a tiny group of people that wield a lot of power and it works in their interest to keep people not wanting to involve themselves in the political process. I think they should do certain things to politics to make it more accessible, so people feel like they want to look after society, they want to look after the community ‘cause it’s a lot more important than the political class would make you believe that it is. I don’t think I’ve managed to encapsulate that in a song, I think this is the hard thing. Like you hear great political songs and they capture things perfectly… I think I’m on the very very first step to maybe one day getting there. But if you don’t try then…

P: When is the new album coming out?

LC: I think we’ve got loads of ideas for songs but we never know if they’re gonna be totally s*** or really good until they’re finished. I suppose that’s what we love about the process of writing a song, that you can do a day’s work on something and get nowhere, or feel like you’re further away from where you want to be, or you can work for an hour, come up with something that you love. Hopefully we’ll have something out towards the beginning of next year but I think it just depends how long the process takes.

P: How are you guys feeling about the performance later on? Based on the queue for the signing tent, you’ll have massive crowds I reckon!

LC:  It was really funny on the way in, me and Nicky drove up together, and the bloke at the gates was like ‘Oh, which band are ya lads, which band are ya’ and we’re like ‘oh, Little Comets’ and he goes ‘…right.’ So judging by that, I thought there’d be no one in the queue [for the signing tent] We got lucky here the first time we played, ‘cause there was two stages, an outdoor stage and an indoor one and it was pissing it down so the people luckily came inside to ours. Hopefully they won’t be put off by the fact it’s really sunny today – it should be good fun. It’s always nice to play this festival, it’s got a really nice vibe about it. The first year we came it had a big, like massive, slide filled with water for the wakeboarding contest, so they actually had one of the contests up here, I don’t think they do it anymore. I just think it’s got a really nice vibe, especially when the sun’s out, it makes it ten times better. 

[pips-media-blog]

I spoke to Canterbury about their European tour, interview lies and their apt band name.

[pips-media-blog]

I spoke to Matt from The 1975 about The Rolling Stones, Breaking Bad and rowdy crowds.

[pips-media-blog]

City Sound Project review

Benjamin Francis Leftwich

The talented Benjamin Francis Leftwich was one of the headline acts for the City Sound Project 2013, and for very good reason. His dulcet, relaxing tones stunned the audience, with songs such as ‘Pictures’ proving to be popular. The Canterbury Christ Church SU, The Lounge, steadily filled up as acts such as Swiss Lips and Wolf Alice got the crowd excited for Leftwich’s performance. When Leftwich came on stage, the crowd were buzzing with anticipation and excitement; Leftwich came on to rapturous applause. As soon as any of his songs started, a quiet hush came over the crowd – it is so easy to tune into his voice alone and to tune out the rest of the crowd. The connection Benjamin Francis Leftwich creates between you and the song is outstanding and mesmerising – a skill not many artists possess. Additionally, his voice is unlike any other voice in the male singer-songwriter genre – his voice is haunting and delicate, and full of passion. Having interviewed Leftwich, I can tell he adores writing songs and performing around the world – a mindset which is fresh to see in a culture where bands may have lost that certain love for music. Leftwich is deservedly a headliner at City Sound Project 2013, and I expect to hear great things from him in the future.

You can catch him at many festivals over the summer, or find him on Facebook to keep up with his music: https://www.facebook.com/benjaminfrancisleftwich

Swiss Lips

Mancunian boys Swiss Lips have one of the most difficult sounds to pin down, with synth and guitar melodies, an alt-pop vocal style and a dance beat – this would make for an amazing song, if done right. It can safely be said that Swiss Lips do this very, very well.

Swiss Lips summarise everything great about the new synth-pop-alt music that is getting increasingly popular within the music industry. The gig was well put together, reflecting the tight melodies seen in ‘Danz’ and ‘U Got The Power’. Swiss Lips recently made BBC R1’s ‘Song of the Week’ with Scott Mills for ‘U Got The Power’ and you can tell that these boys will have the song of the summer; the catchy synth gives an 80’s vibe whilst the melodies remind you of The Naked and Famous. Their aim as ‘Swiss Lips’ is to mix guitar music and dance music, and this is definitely achieved, with a buzz throughout the whole gig which keeps the audience wholly entertained.  As one of the ‘Ones to Watch’ from the City Sound Project lineup, Swiss Lips have a lot of potential, with gigs bursting with energy and enthusiasm – their songs perfectly sum up summer. If you are looking for an upbeat, synth-tastic performance, Swiss Lips would be the ideal gig.

Find more info about upcoming Swiss Lips gigs here: https://www.facebook.com/SwissLips

Is Tropical

It can be argued that Is Tropical were one of the most talked about acts to be on the City Sound Project lineup. Having toured all over the world, performing in places such as Europe, USA (with Crystal Fighters), Japan and South America, you can tell Is Tropical are experienced entertainers, providing the crowd in the Penny Theatre with a tight performance on guitar, drums and vocals. Their songs kept the crowd dancing all night – the aim of their indie-alternative-dance genre. It can be easily claimed their songs are similar in style to Foals and a synth beat not dissimilar to the likes of M83, but with an extra alternative kick which makes Is Tropical so different – they will definitely stand out from the crowd. The band provided a great end to the City Sound Project, and the hype around this band is thoroughly deserved – expect more from them in the coming year.

Find Is Tropical here: https://www.facebook.com/ISTROPICAL

(http://www.csrfm.com/index.php/reviews/csp-csrreview/)