Photo Credit: Cuffe & Taylor
Concluding their busy summer schedule with a sold out performance at The Piece Hall, Liverpool indie legends The Wombats graced West Yorkshire once again with their action packed set list, high energy stage presence and twenty years of experience for a debut run in Halifax in front of a packed crowd.
Fellow Liverpudlians Circa Waves have been on the outdoor venue circuit across the summer. From supporting The Kooks to a Calling Out stage headline performance at this year’s Kendal Calling, the packed courtyard awaited the band’s presence. The moment that opener ‘Do You Wanna Talk‘ kicked off the set, the Halifax crowd were already dancing and singing along. The Friday vibes were flowing throughout the venue as the set progressed, including fan favourites ‘Get Away‘ and ‘Fossils‘ before a strong conclusion of the set as ‘Jacqueline’ set up ‘T-Shirt Weather‘ to end Circa Waves’ first time in Halifax off with a bang.
Having performed in the neighbouring Leeds numerous times across the last two decades, The Wombats’ debuted in Halifax has been one of the most anticipated shows of the 2026 series. Rounding off their ‘Oh! The Ocean’ run with their final show of the summer, the trio stormed to their positions as they opened with fan favourite ‘Moving to New York’ to get the place bouncing. Keeping up with the pace, ‘Techno Fan’ quickly followed, already indicating that the set was going to filled with tracks from all eras. ‘Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come’ served as the first piece of material from their latest record, a more mellow moment to ease the Halifax audience back into some fan favourites.
Now the crowd were drawn in with tracks like ‘Kill the Director’, ‘Pink Lemonade’ and ‘Lemon to a Knife Fight’, it was ‘Ready for the High’ that had the entire place laughing as a Wombat dressed individually came out to cause a ruckus during the trombone sections. The set was filled with everything, nostalgia, evolution, laughs and stories, The Wombats really are into their element on stage. As their set rounded off with ‘Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves’ and ‘Turn’, the trio exited the stage for a brief breather before returning for a short but sweet encore.
Opening the encore with ‘Greek Tragedy’, the energy immediately picked back up just in time for the grand finale of ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’ and to round off their album cycle, ready for an eventual celebration of their debut in 2027…
