The Wombats performing at Rock City Nottingham on Monday 28th September 2015


 

Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

The rafters at Rock City shook when The Wombats came onto the stage to belt out their opener Give Me A Try, and it never stopped shaking until they left the stage some 75 minutes later. This English indie rock band from Liverpool held this captivated crowd in their hands from their first guitar riff to their last big rock finish.

Whilst half of the set list was pulled from their latest album, Glitterbug, there was still strong representation from their first and second albums, including the anthemic Jump Into The Frog, rock and electronic mashup, Techno Fan and indie favourites Kill The Director and Moving To New York. Their music was infectious and perfect to dance to, and that is just what this Rock City crowd did all night.

With ‘Murph’ Murphy on vocals and Dan Haggis on drums, it was impossible to doubt their talent. Throughout every song, guitarist Tord Overland-Knudsen jumped back and forth across the stage, playing his guitar with a skill unhindered by his endearingly cheerful energy. Delivering an energetic performance enhanced by Murph’s witty unpretentious banter with the audience, this talented trio had won over this crowd by simply loving what they do.

Other tracks from Glitterbug included the stadium worthy Your Body Is A Weapon, Emoticons and Curveball, before they brought the set to a close with Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves), a number which energised the fans even more.

Waiting impatiently for Let’s Dance To Joy Divison, this crowd went wild as they finished with this absolute belter of a tune that has not aged one bit. Showing real appreciation for their audience, The Wombats left with the crowd shouting for more and it was only the Rock City curfew that prevented these marsupials from staying around for longer.