Noah and the Whale: rhapsody in suits

Easy on the ear fodder a hit with those tender of head

Noah and the Whale
Noah and the Whale

Stars: ***

The first ten minutes of Noah and the Whale’s set is taken up by an instrumental orchestral version of Bohemian Rhapsody played over the speakers; if that doesn’t both set the tone and speak volumes about the Londoners’ appeal, nothing will.

This is your quintessential Sunday afternoon festival slot, where the most energy you’ll need to expend is a gentle nod of the head or a mild tap of the foot. The suited and booted troupe, led by fiddling frontman Charlie Fink, softly bumble through mature folk-rock with a temperate tone, providing easy on the ear fodder for those tender of head.

Yes, it’s all a bit ‘nice’, but y’know... sometimes ‘nice’ is what you need.

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy is a freelance journalist and broadcaster. She writes about music and the arts for The Irish Times