Noah and the Whale, 17/09

Noah and the whale @ Enterprise, Chalk Farm,

Thee most packed out gigs I have been too this year. No doubt about that. On arrival I was thinking that I would probably not get in this free, first come first serve basis gig, but it then struck me as I was beneath a man in braces sweating from ever area whilst my foot spiked on a broken wine glass (admittedly it was mine) that they weren’t actually going to say “No”, hand up like a lolly pop women to the next shaggy haired indie kid. The people just kept flowing in… how I would have loved the idea if I was late, but I wasn’t, I just wasn’t really breathing and the stench of BO, booze, burps and other horrible smells (damn the smoking ban!) I wasn’t in the best mood. So it’s a good thing that Noah and the Whale actually played a blinder of a set.

Starting with two slow songs, including Beating, it was hard not to be fazed by the nasty stench of the room, but all was forgiven when Mary, Jocasta and Rocks and Daggers kicked in and ending with 5 Years Time, which included the band wearing matching blue jackets and Laura Marling (on backing vocals) doing a very Posh Spice eqsue dance (as seen in the 5 Years Time video. You tube?) and Charlie Fink becoming the new Barry White; “If you chant Noah-Whale, Noah-Whale” to which crowd proceed in doing, “…then there will be Love Love Love, wherever you go”... Smooth bastard! Finally encoring with (god forbid in those conditions) 2 Bodies, 1 Heart and a Smiths cover of Girl Afraid. Ironically, I was indeed a girl afraid, afraid of the man in braces bobbing up and down back and forth to the slow folky leads which are Noah and the Whale. I didn’t think anyone could move in such ways as he did but it shows that this so called ‘anti-folk’ is a bit punky and a bit more edgy that the usual lovesick, suicide ballads that can usually be projected.

Let’s just hope that bands don’t start a new trend with having ‘and the’ in band names, y’know, like The Strokes did, with The Libertines and The Razorlight…Joe Lean and the Jingle Jangle Jane, Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit, Vincent Vincent and the Villians, Captain Kick and the Cowboy Ramblers, Tom Hatred and the Angryband, Florence and the Machine…..Oh.