Project Description
THE WOMBATS
@RIVERSTAGE
30/11/18
(Live Review)
Reviewer: Katelyn Murray
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When walking into the venue, especially one as iconic as Riverstage and smelling booze, pot and a buzzing energy in the air an hour out from the headlining act taking the stage, I knew I was in for a crazy night. This energy only AMNplified as the time grew shorter until headliners, The Wombats stepped out and took the stage by storm. When the familiar riff of Cheetah Tongue sounded up the hill it was a special moment I knew would stick with myself and fellow audience members for a very long time.
Having opened with one of their most listened to songs of 2017/18, they knew what they were doing and how to get a crowd moving. I have to say, I haven’t seen a livelier audience than that one on Friday night, it was insane and it never stopped, the crowd was constantly up and dancing.
After watching 3 songs from the top of the hill, I couldn’t help myself but wander down to the bottom where I found people on top of each other’s shoulders and the occasional drunk guy yelling out between songs.
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No matter the band, I always find the energy of the crowd is what really makes a show, and The Wombats got the crowd up and moving for the entirety of their set, even when things slowed down for Lethal Combination, a sad song that somehow felt so right to sing along to while standing in a crowd full of thousands of people.
When their iconic song, Lemon to A Knife Fight played, I definitely felt like a kid in a candy store but instead of candy, it was the crisp vocals and immense stage presence of lead man, Matthew Murphy who had the audience in the palm of his hand. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t one of the most enjoyable concerts I’ve ever been too as it was hard not to have fun when everyone around you is and especially when The Wombats are onstage.
As this tour was focused on their latest album, Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life it had many that I didn’t expect to translate live as well as they did. Especially Bee-Sting which I never imagined to be a standout when performed live, but they definitely proved me wrong in this instance as the crowd seemed just as keen for it as they were for classic, Let’s Dance to Joy Division and Moving to New York.
With a song as upbeat as ‘Let’s Dance‘, it’s not hard to imagine the screams and hands in the air the moment the opening riff begun and the amount of drunk people that swung around the hill as if they weren’t about to overbalance and go rolling down. The end of this song was also dragged out and emphasised, with the lyrics “We’re so happy”, going for about as twice as long as the studio version which felt so right to be yelling out on a Friday night while seeing a band as worthy as The Wombats.
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The band knew for sure they were in a for a good night, with Matthew often exclaiming how great the crowd was and even cheekily saying that the next show they play does not stand a chance compared to the one that packed into Riverstage on Friday night. With a band that comes to Australia as often as they do, you’d expect them to say something along the lines of ‘Thanks for a great year Australia!’ as this tour followed up their massive slot they had in one, if not the biggest festival this country has to offer, Splendour in the Grass. Instead they said good night to the crowd with a teasing remark of ‘See you soon’, and it would be hard to not believe them when they’ve showed their faces in venues across Australia probably more often in the past few years than any other international act.
Just as they said themselves, I’m sure it won’t be long until their back here in Australia and it’s a gig no one would want to miss.
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Follow THE WOMBATS
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