InTheNews.co.uk
Breaking News:
Your source for news

In Conversation

 12 May 2008 14:16 BST

Noah and the Whale: We're not 'twee'

Tuesday, 29 Apr 2008 16:40
Noah and the Whale - ready for inclement weather
Having wowed SXSW, toured alongside bright young thing Laura Marling and overshadowed Adam Green while supporting him on his recent UK tour, London four-piece Noah and the Whale are set for the top.

Ahead of the release of their cracking new single Shape of My Heart, inthenews.co.uk's Lewis Bazley spoke to 21-year-old frontman Charlie Fink about Marling, music and Morrissey.

How has the tour been?

It's been great, we're all good friends with Adam.

What has the reception from Adam Green's fans been like?

It's been really, really good actually. I definitely feel we go off stage in a better mood than we'd gone on in. And I don't think our styles are a million miles away from each other

One of the most-mentioned words in articles about the band is "sweet" as well as "twee"- is that ok or tiresome?

I couldn't think of any worse description of our music. I never understood how the word "twee" applies to any of our songs. I definitely think it's based on a lot of people judging us on a couple of singles and I think once people hear the album, I don't think anyone will be able to say that. People make assumptions about artists so quickly these days and they form opinions.

Have you seen the same thing happen with Laura Marling?

Yeah, when she started out people were mentioning Kate Nash and Adele and they've now heard the album and realise that's ridiculous, she doesn't sound anything like that.

So what words are people going to be using once the album comes out?

They'll be using words like "nonsense", "rubbish" (laughs). I dunno, the obvious point is it's a lot darker than people might be expecting. You want to hesitate to say it's 'sophisticated' but I genuinely feel that it is! It's got more of what the initial vision was and the sound is quite different as well. But, to be honest, I think people should just hear it and make their own minds up.

You've said it's going to be darker but Shape of My Heart is still quite a… I'm carefully choosing my words because I don't want to offend you, but it's quite a chirpy song, right?

Yeah, of course, it's definitely uplifting. But the lyrics are quite moody I reckon. That is definitely the chirpier end of the album though.

Check out the Shape of My Heart video below to see what Charlie means:


If the album represents more of what the original vision of the band is, why has that been changed along the way? Is it because you're still a fairly new band and you're still trying things out?

No, I think it comes from a) what works live and b) what we've released really. I think when people come to see our headline shows they get a much clearer picture of what we're about. But when people see us do support slots, you're forced to squash in everything you're trying to do and people don't often give you the chance to play the slower stuff.

How are you finding playing without Laura?

Well, we're proud, obviously, that she's got her own thing. And we've had Becca from Slow Club coming to do the Adam Green dates and she's fitted in really well. But yeah, obviously, Laura's a very hard girl to replace.

So is the onstage dynamic different now?

No, it's literally just the fact that it's a different voice onstage now. If you've just heard the singles then you probably won't notice much difference but if you've seen us live you might.

Bassist Urby chips in: And without a female singer, the band sounds rawer, we've all been singing a lot more because of it. We now do gigs where we've all got our own mics so we've been working on our own harmonies a lot more. It's just different, I wouldn't say it was better or worse.

And Charlie returns... I think some people as well really enjoy the visual thing of their being four guys and a girl onstage. But for us, it's not really that important. It's probably not for a lot of people.

You produced Laura's album Charlie, are you happy with it and its critical reception?

Yeah, it's done really well. I haven't read that many reviews but I really like it, it came out great.

Sometimes you guys have been asked to explain what genre you are and you've said 'grunge-folk', for example. Is folk the genre you're closest to?

Maybe. Stuff gets so pigeonholed so quickly these days. But I think probably the best thing about the word "folk" is that it's so broad. I think folk in its essence, there's definitely elements we use.

I don't think many people would say that the Smiths are folk, but they're a big influence on you as well you've said that Girlfriend in a Coma would be your number one cover. So how do guys feel about the recent Morrissey controversy?

We've been asked about that before! The funny thing is, I like the Smiths but I'm not a Smiths nut, I don't have a Morrissey tattoo or anything. To be honest, I don't know what he really said. I'm still a Smiths fan anyway.

Finally, after Leeds, Latitude and Glastonbury in 2007, what festivals are you playing this year?

Well, we've just landed this tour with the Zutons, Mystery Jets and Fionn Regan which is a tour of forests and that clashes a little bit with some things, so we're going to do a the Sunday of Glastonbury and then we're doing Latitude and a few others and we're doing Lollapalooza in the States.

Lewis Bazley

Shape of My Heart is released on May 5th.

Click here to order the single

And to place your order for Noah and the Whale's debut album, released on July 14th, click here

Shape of my Heart – 5th May (Recordstore: all 3 formats for £4):
Album pre-orders – July 14th (Amazon): End of story


    • Win a super stylish Peugeot 207

      The nippy Peugeot 207 CC is the perfect car for zipping about town or for long drives in the country with the top down. Thanks to the sleek folding metal roof above your head you can feel secure when it's up and feel the freedom of the road when it's down. The Peugeot 207 CC features a turbocharged petrol engine which, as well as sounding cool, means that you'll have a smooth and quiet drive. This sporty car also has the advantage of having four seats so you and your mates can enjoy the sheer pleasure of such a slick car! With 5 airbags, a spacious boot and sporty seats, the Peugeot 207 CC really does have everything you need in a convertible. Closes 31/12/2008

      Click here to enter

Also In Conversation 

© 2008 Advertise | Privacy | Terms of Use