Noah And The Whale

The Roundhouse,

London

12/08/2008

If Noah And The Whale’s unexpected chart success proves there’s still room for surprises in an increasingly predictable Top 40, then tonight is all about the comfort of familiarity; the Roundhouse, curtained off to around half it’s normal size with Jazz Club-esque tables populated round the stage , has a woozy, loungy feel to it as the twee torchbearers’ show sees them play their debut album ‘Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down’ as it appears on record, only breaking the mould when they finish with new song ‘First Day Of Spring’, which frontman Charlie Fink proudly declares to be “the first song and title track of our second album.” Eh, steady on boys…

Backed-up with seven instrument-swapping horn, string and keyboard players, tonight demonstrates that they’re about more than ‘5 Years Time’s quirky chart-gatecrashing – at times they sound like a loved-up, less preachy Arcade Fire, like on the brooding, malevolent folk stomp of ‘Give A Little Love’, or, like on ‘Second Lovers’’ bittersweet vignette, a less world-weary Willy Mason. The format of the gig may highlight ‘Shape Of My Heart’ and, yup, ‘5 Years Time’ as the obvious singles, but it also draws a line under ‘Peaceful…’’s naïve charm as a whole and the sweet, visceral thrill of seeing 11 musicians duking it out onstage without ever trying to purposefully raise the decibels. Final song ‘First Day Of Spring’ might suggest that next they’ll be heading in more jagged directions but, for now, their breezy, tender ditties are delightful enough.

Niall Doherty