In a sea of independent artists, there is a very little-known English band called Little Comets. They are the most independent of independent acts. This is the story of how my brother and I found them and why they have had such a positive, nurturing impact on my mental condition.
I’ll start by coming right out and saying it: their really awesome song, Waiting in the shadows in the dead of the night, has been the most important song of my life so far.
Why?
Let me explain it all to you, dear reader.
It’s a song that represents childhood, but also of times of brotherly bond
It was around Easter of 2012. I remember driving with my brother, Ben. I was on my learner plates, working steadily towards getting my licence. We were out far south-west of Brisbane at Girraween National Park, not too far from the freezing town of Stanthorpe. Ben was teaching me how to drive.
We had the Little Comet’s CD playing in our Honda Jazz. Ben had picked up the CD at JB HI-FI, back when CDs were the rave.
It seems unimportant, but that driving memory is now forever etched into my mind. To this day, I don’t understand exactly why.
It was the last track on the record. A fitting end to a great album.Track 14.
Perhaps it was the brotherhood, the connection between brother to brother. Exploring in the car, laughing our heads off and just making memories. Perhaps it was the beautiful lyrics or the delicate piano or the way it played through the Honda’s pretty crappy speakers that day.
But, I strongly believe that it has been the song of all time for me.
Funnily enough, Ben still has that very CD in his own Honda Jazz to this day. We still play it from time to time. It’s lovely.
What else about this song makes it special?
Waiting in the shadows came as part of Little Comet’s debut album, Life is Elsewhere, in electric form, but there was also an acoustic piano rendition that both Ben and I fell in love with.
However, you won’t find it on Spotify as part of the album – we had a special edition, I think.
We felt like it was our own song. To be honest, not many people know about it.
We often think of Little Comets as our own little secret.
As is typical with Little Comets, the lyrics are always incredibly well done.
It’s barbed wire, this crucial touch
Waiting in the shadows in the dead of the night- Little Comets
That holds me here, expects so much
No disregard will tie me down
I will be waiting, waiting for us
In 50 or 60
She’ll leave me completely
And one of us will coldly hold the other’s hand
No metaphor for this that I can understand
What I think the whole song means is that when we die, our significant other will be there waiting for us in the shadows. The term “in 50 or 60” refers to the time in the future where the narrator expects his or her life on Earth to be over, and therefore the couple will meet again.
Incredibly powerful stuff.
Here’s another great song you should listen to, Coalition of One. Always captivating and brilliantly performed.
Jump onto Spotify or YouTube or both and have a listen to this awesome outfit.
They have done so much for my mental state over the years. Thank you Little Comets!
Zak
Tales from a Bruised Mind 
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