Noah and the Whale - Tonight's The Kind Of Night

The success of Noah and The Whale's L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. (God bless the fact you can copy and paste track names from iTunes) did so well came as a surprise and joy for me. In its majestic, waltz like splendour, it saw a band hitting their stride; the dream scenario for any band launching their latest album. Featuring on ITV's Dancing on Ice, it was swiftly propelled ever higher in the charts and even ended up on a Now That's What I Call Music - surely the ultimate accolade for any song, eh?

L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. wasn't just Noah and the Whale producing a good track, it was the band marking out their place in the public awareness - it was the kind of record that could sell out a venue off its own back. The gateway was open then for a follow-up single to be equally well received.

Tonight's The Kind of Night then represents a the ride outwards through those gates to both corral yet more new fans to the band's cause and to say to those new to the cause 'Welcome, one and all - you're going to enjoy this...'. It's a crowd-pleaser at heart, a notion that conjures up visions of cheesy rock ballads - but it needn't be seen as such a dirty phrase. For Tonight's The Kind of Night, in its big, bouncy piano chords, jaunty chorus and soulful backing vocals, is a perfect example of a song doing exactly what its title says. Imagine the scene; a booze-laden New Year's Eve party, lots of friends and relatives around, champagne flowing freely - this is the song that will be playing on the stereo.

And just like L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N., the song reverberates in its own inherent classiness and charm. When the band first charted with 5 Years Time back in 2008, you'd scarce believe they could transform from that frisky campfire melody type stuff to the sweeping Deacon-Blue-esque anthems like Tonight's The Kind Of Night. And it's a sound that fits them like a glove. Noah and the Whale are the suave, good-looking best friend we all have. And just for tonight, they're letting us in on all the tricks of their trade. And boy does it sound good.

Tonight's The Kind Of Night is released on May 16th.