THE WOMBATS // Photo – Karen Lowe

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There’s no question Australians love The Wombats – outside of Great Britain, Aussies make up the band’s most loyal fanbase, with Melbourne and Brisbane taking the #2 and #5 spots for most plays on Spotify. And that love is mutual, it seems; they played Falls Festival in January and Splendour in the Grass in July plus a whole bunch of headline and side-shows in between.  The Wombats have been touring Australia so much in the past couple of years they have been dubbed “Australia’s adopted sons.”

Firstly, I have to say I am SO impressed by Red Hill Auditorium as a summer concert venue – the amphitheatre style seating/standing arrangement means you have literally no one obstructing your view and you have the space to dance as wildly as you want, which I certainly did.

Eves Karydas kicks off the night, wowing the crowd with her dreamy dance beats, and finishing off the set with her smooth hit, Further Than The Planes Fly.

Next Cloud Control perform a number of hits off their 2017 album, Zone. Panopticon is an intelligent song about the influence of social media like Facebook, while Rainbow City is a catchy, mildly angst-rock tune about losing things. The band are delightfully awkward in their mannerisms, making the crowd laugh and engage with their authentic stage presence, and group banter.

The Wombats start their set with Cheetah Tongue off their last album. It is a punchy tune which is a great one to get the crowd engaged and singing along right from the start. 

This Modern Glitch may have been their shortest album, but almost every track is a hit in its own right. Dance track Techno Fan is infectious and fun, while the anthemic hit Tokyo – Vampires and Wolves builds up to an explosive chorus.

“If you love me – let me go – back to that bar in Tokyo.”

Songs from their first album, Proudly Present… A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation are crowd-pleasers and inspire the most frantic dancing. Even though the album was released back in 2007, a song like Moving To New York is just as catchy and motivational as when I first heard it. 

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THE WOMBATS // Photo – Karen Lowe

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Their smash-hit 2015 album, Glitterbug has some of The Wombats most artistically well-crafted songs, including the *zesty* Pink Lemonade. It’s also intensely nostalgic, perhaps because it contains some huge hits. 

Give Me A Try is a sincere song about making it in London and fulfilling your dreams, with backing vocals that sound awesome live. 

I’m going to take a small gamble here and claim Greek Tragedy is the band’s most iconic song. The lyrics are actually about a time when lead singer and lead guitarist, Matthew Murphy, was preparing to end one relationship to start another with the woman who is now his wife. When you know that, the intensity of the song feels even more raw. It is impossible not to get goosebumps from the very first tinkling organ-style arpeggio. 

“I’m tired of falling up the Penrose Steps.”

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THE WOMBATS // Photo – Karen Lowe

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The set is filled with plenty of songs from their most recent wittily named album, Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life. Ice Cream is the most guitar-heavy song of the night, driven by bassist Tord Øverland Knudsen, and Murphy. Turn is all about loving someone for their unexpected and spontaneous behaviours, and is lyrically creative, with lines like “You could give an aspirin the headache of its life.” 

They also play the album’s single, Lemon To a Knife Fight, and sample new release, Bee Sting, which has catchy lyrics, but does not feel particularly original- live, however, the track does stand out for its guitar riffs. 

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The Wombats most recent album, “Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life.”

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Emoticons is accompanied aptly by a montage of giant emoticons on the giant screen behind the band. They release giant coloured balloons at some point, but somewhat ridiculously the wind picks up at just that moment and carries them away into the bush – perhaps the only downside to an outdoor venue! 

On the way out, I heard someone say, “That was pretty good!” While I’d call that a bit of an understatement, I doubt anyone could leave a Wombats concert feeling anything other than they just had a pretty good time. 

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THE WOMBATS // Photo – Karen Lowe

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Check out Karen Lowe’s gallery of this show HERE

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Connect with THE WOMBATS
@ OneBigLink

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AMNPLIFY – DB