Adam KeysThe Wombats o2 Academy, Newcastle 20th March 2018
During the mid-noughties indie revolution, The Wombats supremely combined guitar rock with infectiously cheesy, singalong pop to create a blend of feel good music that can still be found belting out in rock / indie bars nationwide.
Many of their peers came and went, clinging on as long as they could, but The Wombats have managed to survive, and a large part of that must be credited to their live shows and fun filled tunes. After 15 years together, the Scouse three piece look like a band who are enjoying being on stage more than ever before, and that energy exudes its way into every member of the audience to create a truly breath-taking experience.
During their pomp, it was impossible to escape the sounds of their debut album, with Moving To New York, Let’s Dance To Joy Division and Kill The Director finding themselves on constant rotation on just about every radio station. These quirky, ironic gems quickly become the soundtrack for the drainpipe wearing, Topman enthused millennial generation, and have since found themselves permanently stamped into their hearts.
This enthusiasm was clear to see in Newcastle’s o2 Academy, as a couple of thousand mid-twenties indie kids went wild to the soundtrack of their youth, grabbing each other and screaming every word back at each other. But, despite the throwback to 2007, the show was about much more than just nostalgia.
The Wombats latest album Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life recently reached number three in the UK album chart, and proved a commercial hit world over; showing the Liverpool lads still have plenty left to offer. The chart success of the album was matched by the enthusiastic response from the crowd, as tracks like Cheetah Tongue, Lemon to a Knife Fight, Turn and Black Flamingo all went down a treat with the Geordie audience.
With four top 20 albums under their belt, The Wombats now have a wealth of material to choose from, and it’s fair to say that their set list was carefully selected, with each album receiving a piece of the action. This approach was unusual considering they have just released a new album, but it was one that went down a treat with the crowd who lapped up every minute of tracks like Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves), 1996 and Jump Into The Frog.
All in all, The Wombats delivered an exhilarating night of fun, and their performance will live long in the memories of the sold out crowd, who will not hesitate to buy a ticket next time the boys are in town.
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