Noah and the Whale are an Indie folk band from Twickenham, London, England formed in 2006.

History

The band consists of Charlie Fink (vocals, guitar), Doug Fink (drums), Tom Hobden (fiddle), and Urby Whale (bass), and after a few singles, released their debut album, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down in August 2008. Laura Marling and Emmy The Great sang for short periods with the band and the brass accompaniment on the CD is provided by Jon Carvell (trombone) and Sam Kinrade (trumpet). Lillie Flynn (sister of Johnny and sometime member of the Sussex Wit) has also filled the role of female vocalist during tours. Marling still occasionally performs with the band as her schedule from her solo touring allows. She performs background vocals on most of their debut record.
They have been compared to Neutral Milk Hotel, Bonnie Prince Billy and Belle & Sebastian., and the band cite both punk rock and folk as influences.
Their name is a marriage of the title of one of the band's favourite films, The Squid and the Whale, and the director of said film's name (Noah Baumbach). They are also avid fans of the film director Wes Anderson, who helped produce The Squid and the Whale alongside Baumbach; the group's e-mails, and many of their MySpace blog posts, are signed "Sic Transit Gloria", a phrase frequently used in Anderson's film Rushmore.
The band performed on Jeremy Warmsley’s internet television show, Welcome to our TV show, and have made several appearances at festivals including Leeds, Latitude, SXSW, V Festival and Glastonbury. They also plan on playing a mini US tour, most likely around their Lollapalooza performance, though the dates have not been officially announced. They are currently scheduled to play Coachella 2009 on the Friday date. 
In May 2008, the group's side-project, The A Sides, performed a one-off show at The Push Club.
The band's debut album, Peaceful, the World Lays me Down, was released on August 11. The release got to Number 5 on the Official UK Album Chart and has received a mainly positive critical responce..
From January 2009 onwards, the band started work on their second full length LP, entitled The First Days of Spring. The new album has been described as more electric than previous works and there will be a running narrative throughout the album describing the disillusion of a relationship. The band have also been previewing their new music through their concerts in recent months. Along with the album release, Charlie Fink has made a film that runs the entire length of the album, also entitled The First Days of Spring. The band decided not to feature female backup vocals on their second LP.The album was released on August 31st 2009, a little over a year after their debut.
"The First Days of Spring" is the first single release from the album of the same name and is available for download from the band's website. Another second single entitled "Blue Skies" was released in the summer of 2009, after the song got its first airplay on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show on 22nd June 2009.
The band played the 2009 Reading and Leeds Festivals on the main stage, as well as a variety of other venues on their current tour.
On August 28th 2009 Doug Fink, brother of lead singer Charlie Fink, announced he would be leaving the band to pursue a career in medicine. The announcement was made days before the imminent release of their second album 'The First Days of Spring'.
On the 30th September 2009, BBC News reported that the band's equipment including guitars, bass instruments and their drum kit, were stolen from a car park near the Club Academy in Manchester, England. The theft occurred on the night of the 29th September 2009.