When Noah and the Whale's breakthrough hit, '5 Years' Time', hit the airwaves in 2007, it sounded like another catchy slice of East Coast Americana.

Then it turned out that Noah and the Whale were film geeks from Twickenham, the band name derived from the title of one of their favourite movies, The Squid and the Whale, and the film's director, Noah Baumbach.

The debut album, 'Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down' reached No 5 in the UK album charts on its 2008 release and went gold. In 2009, Noah and co released their second LP, 'First Days of Spring', and played the main stages at Leeds and Reading festivals. A track from the album, 'Give a Little Love', even featured in hit US TV show Cougar Town.

Amidst this rocketing success, a more curious footnote was added to the Noah and the Whale story when all their equipment - including guitars and drum kit - was stolen from their tour van parked outside the Academy venue at Manchester University. Students, eh?

Instruments finally returned, Noah and the team haven't looked back and released their third album, Last Night on Earth, in March 2011 which again went gold and made the UK top ten.

The band are taking the new material on tour for the second time in 2011 [their previous tour only ended last week! - Ed] and have announced October gigs, starting at Nottingham's Rock City on the 6th before returning to Manchester Academy - presumably with a more robust van - the next night.

The final date is on 31st October at Colston Hall in Bristol. In the interim, Noah and the Whale play Lincoln, Liverpool, London's Brixton Academy and Cardiff, among others.

Tickets will be available from 9AM on Friday 27th May, from £15 (£17.50 for Brixton).