Noah And The Whale

Proving rugby's not the only good thing to come out of Twickenham, Noah and the Whale drop into the Roundhouse to continue promoting their critically acclaimed second album, The First Days Of Spring. By now, we all know that the record was shaped by 23-year-old singer Charlie Fink's split from the Mercury-nominated folk artist Laura Marling, a former performer with Noah. While the album is full of self-indulgent titles ('I Have Nothing', 'My Broken Heart'), multiple ways of wistfully crooning "I miss you" and other various adolescent sobbing lyrics, "it has an irrepressibly melodic heart", according to The Times, which defies hyperbole in labelling the work "a masterpiece". It's probably no surprise that Fink's brother, the drummer Doug, has since left the group to pursue a career in medicine - how fun can it be playing an active role in your sibling's maudlin mourning process? - so it will be interesting to see how Noah cope in his absence. It will also be an eye-opener to hear what kind of album the band produce when Fink finally moves on and meets a new girl. Before then, you can expect a few lingering tears at this Camden gig.