Fierce folk-rock for alert Wilco and Waterboys fans.

A long sold-out ABClub concert earlier this year. But on Tuesday 4 October, in full idiosyncratic glory, in 'the big AB'. Rightly so too, as after their 'little club concert' we read, in De Standaard alone, this header: 'Noah and The Whale increase their impact. Just when folk is now sexy again, Noah and the Whale opt for a more polished pop sound. The change in direction gave them a big boost live.' There's even a rightful reference to the also rather unique artistic route taken by Wilco on the ABsite.
What was it that we promised for their first visit to the AB? 'Sumptuous songs! The Brits from Noah and The Whale are on to their third CD and are increasingly revealing themselves to be the most elegant colleagues of those other alert folk-rockers Laura Manling and Mumford & Sons.
After 'Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down', their passionate debut from 2008 and the appealing 'The First Days Of Spring', they've now completed 'Last Night On Earth' (via V2). First 'L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.ON.' is certainly irresistible. Or, as you can read on their YouTube clip: '45% Don't Come Around Here No More - Tom Petty + 45% Lola - The Kinks + 10% Walk On The Wild Side - Lou Reed = A 100% great song I just can't get out of my head!!!!! (whizzkid69)
Noah and the Whale apparently also sought inspiration for the new CD in Lou Reed's Berlin, Tom Waits' Bone Machine, Arthur Russell, Charles Bukowski and filmic highlights like Twin Peaks.
British Q Magazine already spoke of 'utterly enchanting', and NME of 'romantic folk with an epic scope'. But, closer to home, there was recently also Jonas -Neveneffect- Geirnaert in Humo's Year-End Summaries 2010, with as concert-of-the-year: 'Noah and the Whale' in Nijmegen.