Noah and the Whale + Pull Tiger Tail @ ICA

I posted this on my other blog, but since I would write about Noah and the Whale here as well, I thought copy+paste would be a bit easier on me...

I saw Noah and the Whale at the ICA near Trafalgar Square and I have to say, the ICA is a hidden gem of a venue. I was right up there at the stage (I took the picture to the left) and although it was sold out, it had the intimacy and electric vibe of the 9:30 Club without the crushing crowd that sometimes encroaches my personal space.

We arrived promptly at 7:30, but decided to hit the pub and wait it out for a little while. After a pint of Kronenbourg and healthy conversation at a really spacious pub near Westminster, we headed back to ICA.

Noah and the Whale came out dressed in blues and yellows. They fit the stylistic bill for many indie acts these days, but their sound set them apart. In one song I hadn't heard before, the fiddle came in with a riff similar to the one in "Sweet Child O Mine" and got everyone bumping and clapping. The bassist had a full-time job playing the xylophone (or something similar) and harmonium in addition to his bass. Laura Marling shook the shit out of the egg shaker but was still a little timid. With her new haircut, fresh from last Monday's in-store, she still won me over, but I wish she'd realize how good she is and come out of her shell. They played... around seven songs including "Five Years Time," "Jocasta," "Rocks and Daggers," "Mary," "Give a Little Love," two or three others I didn't know, and an encore cover of The Smith's "Girlfriend In A Coma." All of their live versions had more energy and momentum than their recorded versions, but that's saying a lot since their recorded stuff is great. Look for their songs on Hype Machine.

These guys deserve to get famous immediately. And also... I want a cd. So far, they've only released two singles on vinyl. Bah. All I know is I've found myself a new favorite band. Catch these guys at SXSW for anyone going.

I've already talked a lot about Noah and the Whale, so let's talk about the opener Pull Tiger Tail. These guys from Shakespeare's own Stratford-upon-Avon made me regret my decision to spend the majority of their set drinking beer at a pub. I was glad I caught a bit of their stuff and I'll be hunting down some mp3s on the internet. Until then, here's some YouTube videos of my favorite Pull Tiger Tail songs performed. Here's "Animator" and "Let's Lightening." Their live performances are pretty true to the recorded version so see if you like them. Enjoy.