Hot off the release their sixth studio album, “Oh! The Ocean” The Wombats are back at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena for another evening of nonstop bangers.
Coming in hot supporting acts, Red Rum Club and Everything Everything deliver top notch performances to get the crowd fully warmed up and energised. Slotting in perfectly with the indie vibes, Red Rum Club kick things off with their groovy, slick sound. Offering an indie rock sound infused with a cool jazz energy, you couldn’t have asked for a better opening act to get everyone up and dancing. Delivering an extra sparkle with the inclusion of a trumpet in their musical line up, the band delivers a memorable experience. If you entered the arena knowing nothing of Red Rum Club, you left the set a fan
With barely any time to grab a drink from the bar or catch your breath, second support act and cult art rock favorites, Everything Everything take to the stage with an eruption of excitement from the crowd. While the music certainly is an acquired taste, they have homed in on this and established a loyal following. There is no denying they have perfected the art in putting on a show offering a theatrical and
immersive energy that is all absorbing with each track that seamlessly glides into the next. This support act seemed a tactical selection to warm up the crowd for The Wombats without the crowd having to exert too much energy.
With 9pm hitting, its finally time for our Liverpool heroes, The Wombats to take to the stage. Having previously performed on this very stage to an excitable crowd in 2022, tonight’s show is a sold out one. With yet another incredible album under their belts, you can feel the buzz throughout the crowd to hear these new tracks live for the first time.
Kicking things off with beautifully breezy new album track “Sorry I’m Late I Didn’t Want To Come” an incredibly catchy bop that shows off the range the band have to offer; with Murph’s vocal range, combined with the instrumental talents of Dan and Tord. Quickly onto “Moving To New York” we’re ready to up the tempo and get moving.
Offering a few older tracks back to back, the band have mastered the art of curating the perfect set list to give us a balance of both new and old. Throughout the evening you’re kept on your toes with the nostalgic feeling of hearing old favourites; while also finally getting to hear those new tracks you’ve had stuck on repeat echoing out in all their glory live.
For those who are new to seeing the band live, the unique experience of seeing huge wombat mascots crashing the stage and playing along with “the real” wombats never fails to entertain. Adding that extra magic to “Ready For The High” our cheeky wombats take to the stage and join in on the fun to play their trumpets and show off some animalistic musical talents.
While obviously we’re here for the music, it wouldn’t be a bats show without the cheeky crowd interaction and banter that has you feeling like you’re hanging out with mates. Riling up the crowd with a bit of port rivalry between Cardiff and Liverpool, this isn’t the first instance of random ramblings, or the band being told they’ve talked a lot of ‘cr*p’ this evening.
Moving swiftly on comes the reveal of the fan vote track, fighting it out against “1996” a huge cheer comes when it’s revealed “Is this what it feels like to feel like this” has come out on top. Delivering another track from Oh! The Ocean “I Love America And She Hates Me” comes through with a punchy base line and catchy lyrics that so easily get stuck on a loop in your head. Once again showing off the variety in sound not only in The Wombats sound on the whole, but in their latest album; it’s a standout track that
deserves a firm place on the setlist for tours and shows to come.
Another track that sounded gorgeous live was “My Head Is Not My Friend” while offering an indie rock sound it simultaneously manages to send shivers down your spine with a haunting energy that leaves you gripping onto every single word sung. With perfect placement this then beautifully flows into a solo acoustic rendition of “Lethal Combination” giving almost an out of body experience watching the crowd
swing their arms in unison and gently sing along.
Once again showing the love and connection to their fans, there’s a special shout out to Lauren who wrote a poem for the band, and she had one request to play a track that hadn’t been played since around 2017…Jumping into “Patricia The Stripper” it was clear this is a bop that fans have missed.
Keeping up with the tongue in cheek humor, were rounding off the evening with the “fake encore bit” and Murph introducing our “final song” as a brand new track off their latest album, track 12 “Let’s Dance To Joy Division” with the arena filled with laughter from the British humour and sarcastic joke, everyone was ready and energised to give it their all for the incredibly up beat, old school, nostalgia filled track, that obviously isn’t new!
With the encore typically saved for the older fan favourites, The Wombats are strongly confident in their new album bangers and saving a space for new album track “Can’t Say No” an infectiously groovy hit that will no doubt be a fan favourite for decades to come.
Although The Wombats are famously Known for the likes of Pink Lemonade, Let’sDance To Joy Division, and Kill The Director, there is nothing quite like experiencing the roar that erupts with the introductory guitar riff of Turn. A firm favourite with fans and a track that fits perfectly within the encore. Being stood in a sold out crowd chanting along with the lyrics “it wont get better than this” is a truly magical moment that fans deserve to experience at least once live (although having experienced it multiple times, the euphoric feeling never gets old.)
After belting out the iconic lyrics, front man Murph is quick to ensure we’re all clear on our grammar and make sure everyone knows its “college GIRL drunk tonight” to make sure there’s no insinuation of a darker meaning.
Rounding off a perfect evening, of course its none other than Greek Tragedy. With such a theatrical sounding opening going into an echoey sparkling sound, it feels the perfect way to finish off with a bang. And what’s a live show without some kind of confetti? Doing it a bit differently at the peak of the song huge latex balloons release. Bouncing around to a magical site of silhouettes from the crowd dancing around as the sound comes to and end there truly is something so special and timeless about seeing this band live that keeps its fans coming back and continuing to draw new ones in.
Cover photo credit: Joshua Fairbrother
