They're back in Nottingham, and everything feels the same - even after nineteen years, The Wombats remain one of the most exciting acts in the indie scene...
Nottingham was already in a party mood. Just a few hours before The Wombats took over Rock City for the umpteenth time, Forest had beaten the almighty Liverpool 1-0 in the Premier League. And, as they remind us in tunes like Let’s Dance to Joy Division, the three-piece on stage were proudly formed in Merseyside. So, surely this was the perfect chance for some top notch banter between act and crowd, right?
Well, as chants of “You reds!” were met with a bemused look from the band, who replied with a tentative “Is this a football thing?”, it was clear that attempts at ribbing the group were falling on deaf ears. Yet that didn’t put off the audience, who continued with taunts throughout the entire ninety-minute set, with certain witty so-and-so's switching “You reds!” to “garlic bread”, just to add to the utter madness of the A-grade hilarity.
While the football-induced hysteria didn’t exactly lead to a memorable back-and-forth, though, it did create an air of excitement in the packed, iconic Talbot Street venue. Older classics such as Kill the Director barely required lead singer Matt Murphy to chip in with his own vocals, such was the noise inside the room, with every concertgoer reciting each word with nostalgia-induced glee.
Other popular songs, such as Greek Tragedy and Tokyo, felt almost anthemic at times, with phones lighting the sky and voices raising the roof as these much-loved releases were belted out from the capacity crowd. “We’ve been here seven, eight, nine times and we’ve never had a shit gig here,” Murphy said with a smile, before thanking fans for their passionate support.
The less up-tempo tracks, although encouraging fewer moshpits and manic recitals, allowed the talent of Murphy and his bandmates, Dan Haggis and Tord Øverland Knudsen, to truly shine through. With the likes of Method to the Madness, from the group’s recent chart-topping album Fix Yourself, Not the World, and their set-closing performance of Turn, the genius of all three was clear to see.
Due to the frantic nature of their faster-paced tunes, it’s easy to forget just how skilled this trio really are - but they’re proper artists, fully deserving of their almost two decades at the top of the indie game. Murphy’s voice is unique and engaging, the back-up vocals from Haggis and Knudsen are remarkable and, with each bandmate demonstrating an ability to jump from keyboard to drums to guitar at will, their knowledge of music is clearly second-to-none.
With a deep back catalogue and exciting new releases that create a thoroughly joyous atmosphere, here’s hoping The Wombats return to Rock City many more times in the future - we’ll just leave the football patter out next time.
Check out our interview with The Wombats’ Tord Øverland Knudsen
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