Photo Credit: Confetti Sky
Liverpool’s indie stalwarts The Wombats returned to Birmingham for the second date of their December arena tour, visiting cities they had skipped on the spring run and riding the wave of their newly extended ‘Oh The Ocean‘. After one of their busiest years yet, the trio were in fine form, reminding everyone why they remain pillars of UK indie.
Opening act THE SNUTS set the tone with a headline-worthy set of their own. ‘Always’ kicked off the night, immediately pulling the standing crowd into motion. ‘Hallelujah’ saw hands raised across the floor, while ‘The Rodeo’ prompted frontman Jack Cochrane to coax a jubilant “olé” chant that echoed across the arena. Newer tracks like ‘Millionaires’ landed solidly, but it was ‘Glasgow’, introduced as “a song about our beautiful city,” that sparked one of the loudest sing-alongs of the evening. They closed with ‘Gloria’. ending their set on a high and reinforcing why THE SNUTS are one of the most exciting bands in the current indie landscape.
Next it was THE WOMBATS turn, wasting no time before they launched into ‘Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come’. From the first notes of ‘Moving to New York’, the arena erupts with the crowd bouncing and singing in unison. Hits tumble out: ‘Cheetah Tongue’, ‘Techno Fan’, ‘Kate Moss’ and ‘Ready for the High’, each landing with the kind of familiarity only twenty years of song writing can provide. Murphy paused before ‘Can’t Say No’ to thank fans for sticking with them across six albums, a reminder that their run has been long, busy yet they are still gathering momentum.
Recent additions to their catalogue carved out the tone of the night, drawing everyone further into the world the band created on stage. Fresh release ‘Holy Sugar’ slotted perfectly in their set while Murphy’s storytelling slipped in occasionally, like recalling ‘Pink Lemonade’s’, beginnings in Barcelona. The band reached back to their debut with the Tales of Girls, Boys and Marsupials intro, Dan Haggis coaxing a brief a cappella moment before the extended intro into Kill the Director, which had the arena shouting along. My Head Is Not My Friend and Lethal Combination created calmer, emotional peaks, only to be thrown into chaos again with mosh-worthy tracks like Method to the Madness and Lemon to a Knife Fight.
The night reached its climax with ‘If You Ever Leave, I’m Coming With You’ and ‘Turn’, tension building with every note. The encore soon came undone as balloons bounced across ‘Greek Tragedy’, and the infamous ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’ had the arena on its feet. Each band member grinning from ear to ear, lapping up every single note.
As far as the British indie scene is concerned, The Wombats have earned their title as heavyweights of the genre. Two decades in, they’re still capable of making every fan feel like they’re part of the party while proving that their place at the heart of UK indie is as secure as ever.
Taped Magazine 