I grew up in the United Kingdom in the culturally significant era of every cringey, coming-of-age movie and soundtrack: think Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging crossed over with Wild Child. I still hear the echoes of Scouting For Girls’ ‘She’s So Lovely’ with every teenage memory I recall. The Wombats are not an exception to this epoch. When I saw that The Wombats were coming to Australia, I slipped straight back into my 14-year-old self.
The Wombats have seen a range of versatility throughout their discography, particularly in the development of their lyricism and thematics from their first album to their most recent. They have never failed to bring funk into tragedy, and the realism of finding fun amongst emotional crises has always manifested through their music.Their music begins with songs ruminating on the difficulties of teenage-hood, and as i grew, their work grew with me, to reflect the emotional turmoil of adulthood.
Their earlier work, such as ‘Kill the Director’ and ‘Greek Tragedy’, has a more child-like view on love and romance, comparing having feelings for someone to dramatic TV shows or scripts. It makes sense as to why this era of The Wombats was such a playlist staple amongst high school groups in the 2010s. When the band members grew into their adulthood, their music did the same.
Their newest album, ‘Oh! The Ocean’, leans into a more avoidant and colder perspective of feelings. They fall into a more nihilist and somewhat absurdist mindset throughout their lyrics. The sentiments of ‘nothing matters’ and ‘it’s not as bad as you think’ thread through every song on the album. An interesting aspect of this album is the focus on how it’s much easier to run away from these feelings, to avoid feeling any negativity.
After eight years of waiting, I finally had the chance to see the band live — and they truly did not disappoint.
Opening the show with a bang, The Wombats played the first song from their most recent album release, ‘Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come’. The energy from every band member was instant, with bassist Tord Øverland Knudsen running and jumping across the stage while playing. Triple threat — lead singer, guitarist, and keyboard — Matthew Murphy sounded almost identical to the recorded track, whilst drummer Dan Haggis maintained an overjoyed persona while upholding the rhythm of the music.
After falling back in time playing ‘Moving to New York’ and ‘Cheetah Tongue’, Murphy locked into chit-chatting with the crowd. He mentioned the band’s love and respect for Australia and the crowds that the country brings. Throughout the show, the band had a sustained sense of charm and cheekiness in the way they spoke to each other and the audience. Their personalities shone through each interaction, making the show feel more like going to see your friend’s intimate gig rather than a band touring at the Hordern Pavillion. The band moved on to play ‘Techno Fan’ and ‘Ready For the High’, building up the crowds to dance and headbop — whichever way they were inclined.
This is where I become a little selfish in this article. The best section of the set, in my opinion, pulled through in tracks six to 14. With the range of ‘Can’t Say No’, ‘I Love America and She Hates Me’, ‘Kill the Director’, ‘Blood on the Hospital Floor’, and ‘Tokyo (Vampires and Wolves)’ being amidst the mix, I simply could not get past it.
Whilst I could go on about my excessive love for the songs listed, the most important one that brought every member of the crowd together was the performance of ‘Kill the Director’. It was The Wombat’s first song, and almost a decade later is still in their top ten most streamed songs. Even before the song got into any lyrics, the iconic guitar riff had everyone cheering.
With a collective scream of “I’ve met someone that makes me feel seasick”, it hit me how much of an impact The Wombats have had on people from all backgrounds and ages. The universality of their discography exuded in the diversity of the crowd, all united by this one song from 2007. It became very clear that their experience in love was omnipresent across most.
Encoring their top two streamed songs, ‘Greek Tragedy’ and ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’, The Wombats ended their set with a real boogie. These were the best couple to end the show on. The show encompassed every era of their discography in a way that kept the crowd engaged and jumping. Even in their lower energy, almost sad songs on the set list, they had a way to keep the crowd tuned in to every word.
The Wombats never fail to narrate every milestone of life thus far. We can only hope they continue to make music into their later adulthood and elderly years. I wanna be a Wombats grandma in 2060.
Shoutout to the two support acts:
The Wombats played at the Hordern Pavilion on 1st October.
