The Wombats at Alexandra Palace

The energy of Liverpool-based indie rock group The Wombats lit up the grandeur of Alexandra Palace tonight. As April 2015 saw the release of their third studio album Glitterbug, the band plunged into the latter stages of their 11-month worldwide Glitterbug Tour.

The night saw the trio perform an extensive set list comprising of some songs from their new album and faithful classics from their previous bodies of catchy tunes. Introducing the night with Give Me a Try (one of their singles from the new album), The Wombats kicked off with joyful verve and immediately brought the audience alive with their head-bopping drumbeat, bright synth injections and testosterone-driven guitar solos. As the band settled down briefly, they jumped straight into their youthful classics, including the bubbly Moving to New York. The crowd was in full harmony with the band as they sang along with great vigour, bouncing and clapping in sync.

The Wombats not only delivered with the music, but their fetching “rascal” attitude and the occasional unapologetic banter also resonated with the healthy audience, whose energy was mainly conducted by an entourage of adolescent souls.

While the enthusiasm and party atmosphere cannot be questioned, it was also clear that their new musical productions had inherited a more mature stadium-rock identity. Some of the tunes they performed from their new album (in particular the rather monotonous Curveballs) inclined towards a slightly mellow quality and in turn lacked their typical British easy-going, humour-driven personality that they took pride in in their early career. Luckily, some of their concluding numbers (The English Summer, Kill The Director, Tokyo) and an encore that ended with Let’s Dance to Joy Division summoned back a blaze of dynamism and celebratory, musical punch.

Overall, The Wombats held nothing back on stage. With glimpses of the summer sunshine and breeze making a welcome return to the city, they were the cherries on top and brought a smile to every person in the crowd with their sugar-coated indie rock anthems and occasional on-stage mischief. For the avid Wombats fans, “Christmas came early” for them.

Isaku Takahashi

For further information about The Wombats and future events visit here.

Watch the video for Give Me a Try here: