Rocker (feedbot)
Gold Member
The queue for NOAHFINNCE stretches a good hundred metres around the block surrounding Camden’s Electric Ballroom, long before the doors even open. This would be an impressive achievement for an established act, let alone an artist with only a debut album and a string of singles to his name. Even more impressive is the fact this fervour is occurring on a school night, which surely must have meant at least three quarters of the crowd must have needed permission from their parents to be out this late. Such is the raw power of the social media star turned punk rocker and his honest, wry brand of pop meditations on his experiences that he can pull together this level of dedication only three years after his first single. More than that, he’s managed to turn his shows into a safe space, without any of the snark that phrase can sometimes disguise when used online. Everyone here feels included, seen, recognised and able to have fun, regardless of whatever identity labels that could be applied. Perhaps that’s just as important as putting together an action packed setlist – he stands for an idea as loud as his applause.
There’s a lot more to NOAHFINNCE than his quick fire TikToks would suggest. Grinding, postmodern charisma pours from his diminutive frame as he opens with ‘I Know Better’. It’s not just the legacy pop punk chords of tracks like ‘3 Day Headache’, buoyed up with the glee of realised expectations and chantalongs that snap out like finger snaps, that elevate this show above the expected. The obvious bond that he has established with his fans evaporates into the atmosphere, infusing the Electric Ballroom with a glow of solidarity. “Bunch of weirdos in here,” he laughs before the simple but bold guitar chugging of ‘Weirdos’ refreshes the old theme of feeling like the odd one out in high school, taking the idea out of the abstract to bring joy to the strange and unusual in the crowd. There’s no pit yet, only spontaneous leaping to the sky.
“Anyone here got autism?” he asks to massive cheers. “I just released a music video about it,” he exclaims as he ties a school tie round his head. Within the lyrical twists and big basic riffs of ‘Pet With The Tism’ is a core of genuine reclamation of identity. A prefect with a pink taped burn book throws paper balls into the audience, and for all the panto shtick it seems he’s tapped into a real current of self-love among the crowd. His set, which he admits is “a bit of an autism sandwich,” tackles diagnostic downsides via the fatter riffs of ‘Alexithymia’ once he’s had fun with his theme. There’s a depth that begins to peek out from behind his sillier moments, from proto-Shikari synths on ‘Gibberish’ and vocals that Billie Joe Armstrong would have been proud of on ‘Life’s A Bit’.
Ironically, for an artist with so many in-jokes, NOAHFINNCE doesn’t mess around when it comes to cranking out as many songs as possible. “We’re reaching the emo part of the set,” he proclaims, and while ‘Tell Me You’re Okay’ isn’t complex, it’s a damn good little emo song. Flickering thunder pulses across the analogue televisions onstage, and ‘Subtitles’ continues to fuel the emotion. “Fandom” has to be the best adjective for most of the crowd; he quotes his own videos regularly, calling the ukulele the twink guitar (“The ukulele is cringe and gay, and we are both of those things, yes?” he asks with a gleam in his eye), and for those who are waiting to hear their hero say their favourite catchphrases, this must have been the highlight of the year. But what’s admirable about NOAHFINNCE is that, for all the fan service, he’s using his platform to make a positive change. ‘Asthma Attack’, gentle and heartwarming in a McFly mould, is dedicates to the “transgenders in the room,” and it’s hard not to be won over when he invites the crowd onstage with him for ‘Worms (In My Brain)’. His happiness fuels our own.
Within the quotable exterior and fun with serious themes, NOAHFINNCE is a very talented pop-punker with greater substance than you’d expect. His music is more than sufficiently entertaining to guarantee a good night, but the sense of community which he has built up around himself, and the overwhelming joy emanating from a crowd who might not otherwise comfortably choose a punk rock show in Camden on a Wednesday night? That’s the real power of NOAHFINNCE.
KATE ALLVEY
There’s a lot more to NOAHFINNCE than his quick fire TikToks would suggest. Grinding, postmodern charisma pours from his diminutive frame as he opens with ‘I Know Better’. It’s not just the legacy pop punk chords of tracks like ‘3 Day Headache’, buoyed up with the glee of realised expectations and chantalongs that snap out like finger snaps, that elevate this show above the expected. The obvious bond that he has established with his fans evaporates into the atmosphere, infusing the Electric Ballroom with a glow of solidarity. “Bunch of weirdos in here,” he laughs before the simple but bold guitar chugging of ‘Weirdos’ refreshes the old theme of feeling like the odd one out in high school, taking the idea out of the abstract to bring joy to the strange and unusual in the crowd. There’s no pit yet, only spontaneous leaping to the sky.
“Anyone here got autism?” he asks to massive cheers. “I just released a music video about it,” he exclaims as he ties a school tie round his head. Within the lyrical twists and big basic riffs of ‘Pet With The Tism’ is a core of genuine reclamation of identity. A prefect with a pink taped burn book throws paper balls into the audience, and for all the panto shtick it seems he’s tapped into a real current of self-love among the crowd. His set, which he admits is “a bit of an autism sandwich,” tackles diagnostic downsides via the fatter riffs of ‘Alexithymia’ once he’s had fun with his theme. There’s a depth that begins to peek out from behind his sillier moments, from proto-Shikari synths on ‘Gibberish’ and vocals that Billie Joe Armstrong would have been proud of on ‘Life’s A Bit’.
Ironically, for an artist with so many in-jokes, NOAHFINNCE doesn’t mess around when it comes to cranking out as many songs as possible. “We’re reaching the emo part of the set,” he proclaims, and while ‘Tell Me You’re Okay’ isn’t complex, it’s a damn good little emo song. Flickering thunder pulses across the analogue televisions onstage, and ‘Subtitles’ continues to fuel the emotion. “Fandom” has to be the best adjective for most of the crowd; he quotes his own videos regularly, calling the ukulele the twink guitar (“The ukulele is cringe and gay, and we are both of those things, yes?” he asks with a gleam in his eye), and for those who are waiting to hear their hero say their favourite catchphrases, this must have been the highlight of the year. But what’s admirable about NOAHFINNCE is that, for all the fan service, he’s using his platform to make a positive change. ‘Asthma Attack’, gentle and heartwarming in a McFly mould, is dedicates to the “transgenders in the room,” and it’s hard not to be won over when he invites the crowd onstage with him for ‘Worms (In My Brain)’. His happiness fuels our own.
Within the quotable exterior and fun with serious themes, NOAHFINNCE is a very talented pop-punker with greater substance than you’d expect. His music is more than sufficiently entertaining to guarantee a good night, but the sense of community which he has built up around himself, and the overwhelming joy emanating from a crowd who might not otherwise comfortably choose a punk rock show in Camden on a Wednesday night? That’s the real power of NOAHFINNCE.
KATE ALLVEY