[3] Comet Gain was formed in Oxford in 1992 by Christian with Phil Sutton;[4] the band initially recorded and released homemade demos on cassette and made their live debut with short-lived bassist George Wright, before later adding vocalist Sarah Bleach to the line-up, with Jax Coombes on bass and Sam Pluck on guitar.
[4] Comet Gain's first vinyl release was two tracks on Wiiija double-7-inch EP Some Hearts Paid To Lie in 1993, alongside three riot grrrl bands, and early gigs included supports with Bikini Kill, Heavenly, Linus, etc.
During this period Comet Gain's music varied in style from indie-pop influenced by soul and sixties girl-group sounds, through early-80s alternative pop, to punk,[6] with lead vocals and songwriting split between Christian, and Bleach et al. 1996's Say Yes To International Socialism EP[7] was promoted by Comet Gain's debut promo video, for its more radio-friendly b-side "Hideaway".
[12] 2002's Realistes,[13][14] saw Comet Gain augmented by guitarist Jon Slade (ex-Huggy Bear) and drummer Woodie Taylor (ex-Morrissey/The Meteors) and continued the garage-punk influenced direction of the previous album.
Produced by Ryan Jarman and Edwyn Collins, the album cemented Comet Gain's reputation as respected and influential indie-pop veterans.
[26] In 2014 an amended Comet Gain line-up, with James Hornsey of The Clientele replacing both Ishikawa and Slade as full-time bassist, released seventh album Paperback Ghosts.
[34] In October 2018 Comet Gain released their first material with new label Tapete Records, two-track single "If Not Tomorrow"/"I Was More of a Mess Then".