Being in the audience last night at the Mercury Lounge could have felt awkward.
It was the first of a three-night stint of Noah and the Whale performances that mark the end of the band’s U.S. tour. Onstage, frontman Charlie Fink was confessing to having no one to love and captivating the audience with lyrics about the throbbing pain of separation—generally hitting home the agony of heartbreak that is a theme in the band’s second album The First Days of Spring, released Oct. 6 in the U.S.
But before Noah and the Whale took the stage, opener Robert Francis, on tour to promote the Oct. 20 release of his second album Before Nightfall, performed. On the first night out of three to be at the Mercury Lounge, Francis had the look of a love torn, nu-folk artist: scruffy beard, V-neck white T-shirt, worn out jeans and cowboy boots. And at the age of 21, he convincingly sings about emotions reserved for those with a little bit more life under their belts.
In perfect segue to Noah and the Whale’s set full of melancholy tales on heartbreak, Francis ended his show alone on stage, on the verge of tears, forcing out the somber ballad “Do What I Can.” The he confessed the song—the entire album, in fact—is about the heartbreak caused by a girl who at that very moment could be found running around the city. Who knows if after the set he went out looking for her—it sounds like a good story for a third album.
Equally crushed by girls was Fink—kind of. In between songs he would flash the boyish grin of a 23-year-old and the packed-in audience was assured he’s just fine. There was a lack of conversation in between songs. But what Fink called an “extremely polite” audience was content watching the band bring to life an album laden with the haunting melodies from violinist Tom Hobden, mellow strumming by bassist Urby Whale, and seamless accompaniment from a new pianist and a new drummer (a role once played by Fink’s brother Doug until he left for medical school at the end of August).
The First Days of Spring is a concept album that tells a tragically beautiful narrative of what happens in the aftermath of a breakup. The story is all too familiar to Fink who based it off the end of his relationship with former Noah and the Whale back-up vocalist Laura Marling.
It’s also starkly different from the band’s debut Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down, which is brimming with clever, playful lyrics and an affinity for the penny whistle and the ukulele. (You might remember the whistle-friendly “Five Years Time” single that was featured in a Saturn commercial last summer). The five songs performed from the first album were modified to fit the more electric sound of the set.
Accompanying the album is the release of a short film by the same name directed by Fink. It runs the entire length of the The First Days of Spring and tells a story related to but not parallel with the soundtrack. It premiered Sunday night at Piano’s Upstairs in an event hosted by former MTV News correspondent John Norris.
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