The Wombats - Solus, Cardiff University - Thursday 17th March 2011 (Live Review)
Friday, 18 March 2011
Written by Dave Ball
It’s been a long time waiting for fans of The Wombats. Following an exhausting tour schedule for their hit debut album ‘A Guide To Love, Loss and Desperation’ in 2007 the band, and particularly chief song writer Matthew Murphy struggled to adjust to life off the road. Four years on and the follow up, ‘This Modern Glitch’, is nearly ready for release with this tour set up to promote it.
The first thing that strikes me on arriving is that there are few faces that look a day over 20 years old, I feel a bit like a Dad at a high school disco. However, the youthful enthusiasm once inside the venue is infectious and both support acts play to a very receptive crowd.
First up are Norwegians Team Me who are crammed onto the front of the stage with their multiple instruments a bit like a miniature version of Arcade Fire. A few songs have some potential but there’s little in the way of stage presence and it’s a mostly forgettable 20 minutes.
Next up are the highly promoted Morning Parade who certainly don’t lack for confidence and they have the songs to back it up. Frontman Steve Sparrow’s vocals and several of the songs in their set are ready made for arena sets. Bookending the set are debut single ‘Under The Stars’ which reminds of Friendly Fires with it’s slow building intro and euphoric break and new single ‘A&E’. It’s an impressive set by a band destined for big things.
By the time we’re ready for the headline act Cardiff University's Solus is packed and the screams that come up when The Wombats take the stage have me checking I haven’t stumbled into a JLS gig by mistake. The threesome (Murphy, drummer Dan Haggis and bassist Tord Overlund-Knudsen) are a bundle of energy onstage matching the bounce of their songs.
The audience who were chanting their name from the moment the doors open until they came on stage are entranced, bouncing, clapping and singing on demand as Murphy whips his followers into a frenzy.
The Wombats style of guitar pop is undeniably catchy and there’s something about them that forces you to be drawn under their spell with the catchy melodies and sing along choruses.
As you’d expect the singles are the big hits of the night. Tracks like ‘Kill The Director’, ‘Patricia The Stripper’ and ‘Moving To New York’ from their first album all cause the sea of people to move as one with the strobe lighting and entrancing drum beats but it’s the new material that is most interesting.
There’s a clear difference in some of the newer songs. A more mature, considered approach which doesn’t entirely sit well. Next to come single ‘Techno Fan’ is an impressive step up from the more fun based pop of previous releases but there’s a visible lull during slower new tracks ‘Schumacher The Champagne’ and ‘1996’ hinting that perhaps their audience isn’t quite ready to accept a serious side to the band.
Closing the main set with a rendition of ‘Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves),’ which has the room shaking, the quick encore ends as expected with the ironic ode to Ian Curtis which pushed The Wombats into the spotlight 4 years ago ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’.
The night isn’t without faults, there are some noticeably messy pauses between songs in places but on the whole I was pleasantly surprised by this set. Scouse pair Murphy and Haggis even tried their hand at introducing songs in Welsh.
Love them or loathe them, no-one can argue that The Wombats write a good pop song. Whether the move towards a more mature lyrical direction can work is yet to be seen.
The Wombats new album ‘This Modern Glitch’ is released on 25th April.
Stereoboard Gig Rating: 7/10
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First up are Norwegians Team Me who are crammed onto the front of the stage with their multiple instruments a bit like a miniature version of Arcade Fire. A few songs have some potential but there’s little in the way of stage presence and it’s a mostly forgettable 20 minutes.
