A girl entered his life within the haze of Summer’s gold. They sat up all night drinking cheap wine, smoking and nonsensically yabbering about the most important things in their rosy sphere. That Summer they are so unfeasibly happy, riding together in a huge theme park in the sky. It’s real love sprinkling their every millimetre with sparkling, golden sand. A sand that will never, ever be able to be removed from all those tiny places. Noah and The Whale’s songs are the Summer of absolute and complete love. Then in contrast to the blinding yellow, there is the beige. The songs that are the questions, is this really until holy matrimony? Is it infinite, or for this all encompassing ending second?
And then finally the blue, full of slow strumming and desolation, the songs when the buzzing Summer Queen bee has clearly left the Noah nectar. She has gone and he waits for her. He sleeps with someone else. And still he waits for her. The sand stuck in his heart. He loves her. ‘I fell in love with the world and you. Death do not feel like the victor, ‘cos my poor life makes you none the richer.’ – Hold my Hand as I’m Lowered. The world opened to him through the united heartbeats, is now a peep hole in a well.
With The Whale there is the elation, as you skip through the barley fields and eat candyfloss on the pier, then the anxiety, the yearning, the deepest despair and the end. I want him in his Summer! Then that’s not real life I suppose, and without this massive sadness, where would the poetry and the empathy be? When I first heard Noah and The Whale, I thought they were the Summer straw trilby of music, but when I listened to them more, and saw them live on Sunday, I was far more hit by the slower, straining songs. That’s not to say that 5 Years Time wasn’t a stamping joy, and there were a multitude of couples in the hausen. I loved it! But I think that the song writing poetries should not be blurred by the light of the Summer hits simplicity.
The set itself was complimented by the ultra slick lighting and the films playing in the background. The films were created by a variety of collections of people, most to support the songs themselves. Many of them were made to look like old films, filled with memories of happiness, nostalgic and romantic. They filled the audience with a contented warm light buzz. The strobe lighting on lead singer, Charlie was very striking and linked the silhouette of him playing to the rolling film in the background. Minus the ukulele, (ow...) the band had a little rock out at the end of many of their songs. With their electric guitars and the violin it was a varied and inspiring sound. Charlie himself talked a little between the songs, telling the audience about his ‘love’ for Bris. Course. He also asked for a bit of participation from his (many adoring girl) fans to join him in singing the line; ‘In a year it will be better!’- ahh the love that struck him down. In a year, the world will be a different place. Who knows what it may bring... more of the screaming girl fans? I hope he gets the love strike again. But keeps it til the forevers this time. But then all the songs would be Summer, and you need the Winter. That’s where Noah and The Whale get their real depth, and makes for a wholesome show that leaves you with many emotions touched.
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