We’ve seen a lot from Texas-based trio little image, and it doesn’t look like they’re slowing down anytime soon.
Just a few weeks ago they were opening for Bad Suns’ Accelerator Tour, and now they’re embarking on a 16-show headline tour across the country in support of their latest album, KILL THE GHOST.
Jackson Simmons, Troy Bruner, and Brandon Walters made an early 7 pm show at NYC’s Mercury Lounge feel like a much bigger venue than the tiny, basement-esque place that it is. There was full lighting production tailored to each song, the sound and backing tracks mixed seamlessly with the live instruments, and the band’s energy was made to be showcased on a stage of any size.
Dark green strobing lights would be the setting for most of the night, fitting nicely with the vibes of the band’s latest album — guitars, heavy synths, bass, and drums would take up most of the sound space. They opened their set with the catchy “MR. CYNICAL,” with fans singing along to the repeated “There’s no love left over” lines in the chorus, followed by the guitar-heavy “NOVOCAINE.” Next up was “BLUE” from their SELF TITLED album, one of just four songs on the setlist not from the newest record.
If setting up a b-stage in a 250-cap room isn’t enough of an indication that little image is ready for something big, the closing song to their main stage set, “SHOTS I’M NOT CALLING,” should be. The way that the band performed this song and the way frontman Simmons moved along to each beat while hitting every note showed a level of polish and sophistication that is typically felt in rooms fitting thousands — not hundreds — of people.
Speaking of the b-stage, the band made their way there to first perform a stripped-down version of what they called their “most popular song,” “OUT OF MY MIND” from 2023’s SELF-TITLED. Illuminated by just one bright white light and sitting around in a circle playing instruments together, they somehow made the experience even more intimate than it already was. “REAL ESTATE” was the other song choice for the acoustic set before the band returned to the front of the room for a few more songs before their strict 8:30 pm end time.
The encore set had a few slower (by comparison) songs, notably “Bottles” from their debut album Musings, and “THE RABBIT.” They made sure to wrap up the set with some higher energy, though, first with the groovy “THE REAPER” before finishing off with the new album’s opening and title track “KILL THE GHOST.”
After the set, Simmons told fans to stick around to see them outside after they packed up their gear, and many fans seemed to do so as they left the venue or headed to the lobby to buy merch.
NYC was just the second stop on The Kill The Ghost Tour, and there are many more shows to come. Buy your tickets here.
Keep up with little image: Website // Instagram // Facebook // X
Photos by Julia Finocchiaro
