tue 19/03/2024

Noah and the Whale, Roundhouse | reviews, news & interviews

Noah and the Whale, Roundhouse

Noah and the Whale, Roundhouse

The band from deepest Twickenham play rich, warm drive-time pop-rock

Noah and the Whale's Charlie Fink: Beyond folk

They’re a fun band with some cracking tunes and they provided a vibrant night’s music last night at the Roundhouse, but where on earth did the idea come from that Noah and the Whale are a folk band? On this evidence, they’re about as folkie as Motörhead. Granted, they have a violinist in their line-up, but this is really no signifier of folkiness. In fact, the musician who sprang to mind most frequently during this pacy, compact show was Bruce Springsteen, especially on the material from the band’s recent Last Night on Earth album, with its heroic chord changes, its loose scansion and its tales of driving and escape from suburbia.

They’re a fun band with some cracking tunes and they provided a vibrant night’s music last night at the Roundhouse, but where on earth did the idea come from that Noah and the Whale are a folk band? On this evidence, they’re about as folkie as Motörhead. Granted, they have a violinist in their line-up, but this is really no signifier of folkiness. In fact, the musician who sprang to mind most frequently during this pacy, compact show was Bruce Springsteen, especially on the material from the band’s recent Last Night on Earth album, with its heroic chord changes, its loose scansion and its tales of driving and escape from suburbia.

If I were to pick holes, the biggest would be Charlie Fink's voice: it's a bit thin, frankly, and sounded flat

Share this article

Add comment

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters