Posts Tagged ‘Noah And The Whale’

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

Noah & The Whale cover The Smiths

Photo by Frank YangFrank YangYoung bands who find themselves on the road for extended periods of time without a lot of material to draw on will frequently start throwing covers into the mix not only to pad out the set to a reasonable length, but also to amuse themselves (and hopefully the audience as well). And so it was that London folkies Noah & The Whale introduced a version of The Smiths’ classic (though pretty much every Smiths song could be called a classic) “Girlfriend In A Coma” to their shows in support of their debut Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down, substituting Morrissey’s archness for Charlie Fink’s croak and upping the tempo into jaunty skiffle-pop territory.

On their forthcoming North American tour, which includes a date at the Mod Club in Toronto on April 27, the band should have more than enough original material to fill up a set list – their second album First Days Of Spring is complete and set for release in June. Morrissey still refuses to set foot in Canada, so don’t expect to see him scheduling (and probably cancelling) any dates for his latest Years Of Refusal any time soon.

Filter have an interview with Noah & The Whale in advance of this weekend’s performance at Coachella where, in the broadest terms, they will share a bill with Morrissey.

MP3: Noah & The Whale – “Girlfriend In A Coma”
Video: The Smiths – “Girlfriend In A Coma”