ShareThe Wombats performing their Oh! The Tour at The Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Tuesday 18th March 2025.
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
The last time that The Wombats were in Nottingham they were strutting their stuff at Rock City and at that time it was agreed that they were a group heading for bigger things. On Tuesday night that prophecy came true when this Liverpudlian indie rock band graced the Motorpoint Arena stage and held the captivated crowd in their hands from their first guitar riff to their last big rock finish.
With Matthew Murphy on vocals and Dan Haggis on drums, it was impossible to doubt their talent. Throughout every song, Tord Overland Knudsen jumped back and forth across the stage, playing his guitar with a skill unhindered by his endearingly cheerful energy.
Opening with Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come from their latest album Oh! The Ocean, they followed up with Moving To New York with its distinctive intro that had the crowd powering through the opening lyrics.
Cheetah Tongue was full of energy whilst Techno Fan, a song about Murphy’s time living in London, went down really well. Other new songs, Kate Moss, Can’t Say No and Blood On The Hospital Floor had the crowd singing along, already familiar with the lyrics. Tales Of Girls, Boys And Marsupials was followed by an acoustic version of Lethal Combination which slowed the tempo down a little. It was raised again for the likes of Is This What It Feels Like To Feel Like This? and Lemon To A Knife Fight.
Waiting patiently for Let’s Dance To Joy Division, the crowd went wild as they finished their main set with this absolute belter of a tune that has not aged one bit as dancing Wombats joined them on the stage and confetti poured down.
The three song encore which ended with the raucous Greek Tragedy saw giant coloured balloons bounce over the crowd’s head and as The Wombats had delivered an energetic performance enhanced by Murphy’s witty unpretentious banter with the crowd, this talented trio had won over this crowd by simply loving what they do.
