The Wombats

By Chyrisse Tabone, Rock At Night Tampa

Venue: MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, Florida

Tord Øverland-Knudsen of The Wombats

Rock At Night follows The Wombats in the UK so we in America were beyond thrilled that the band was coming to this side of the pond with the Weezer/Pixies North American Tour 2018. Fans might also be happy to hear The Wombats will be returning in August for Lollapalooza 2018 and in the Fall they will be headlining a Fall tour in North America.

“Murph” of The Wombats

Their single “Turn”, which is from their recent and fourth album Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life (released February 2018), is frequently played on Sirius XM’s Alt Nation channel. It’s infectious alt pop dance rhythm is so uplifting—and the lyrics to the song (like all of their music) are smart and descriptive. If you are not familiar with The Wombats, check out “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” from their 2007 album A Guide To Love, Loss & Desperation.

First of all, The Wombats were at the Isle of Wight festival on Thursday, June 21^st and boogied to America in the morning to the kick-off of the Weezer/Pixies North American Tour in West Palm Beach, Florida!  They basically got off a plane and played the gig on Friday evening!  I’m not sure if they had much rest today!

It was a very hot and humid Saturday evening at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida.  The Wombats hit the stage around 7:25 p.m. to a very appreciative crowd. In fact, the band thanked the crowd for the being enthusiastic—more so—than the evening before.

Dan Haggis of The Wombats

The band was sweating it up as Matthew “Murph” Murphy sang, played the synth, while holding the guitar and playing intermittently.  Dan Haggis sang while drumming, and chatted with the crowd between the songs with that lovely Liverpudlian accent. To us Yanks, it’s like hearing a Beatle speak. Tord Øverland-Knudsen, played the bass and the synth, and jumped around the stage, shaking his locks.  The band was really animated, energetic, and probably dying up there on stage in the Florida heat.  Nevertheless, they put on a dynamite show and I highly recommend catching them on one of their tours. If you like catchy, danceable, alt rock with a touch of synth-infusion, you will love The Wombats!

THE BAND: Matthew Murphy, Dan Haggis, and Tord Øverland-Knudsen

SET LIST

Moving to New York

Cheetah Tongue

Jump Into the Fog

Turn

Greek Tragedy

Let’s Dance to Joy Division

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Chyrisse

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I grew up in a household full of rock music, studied journalism in college, and then became a scientist.Although my science career has served me well, music has always played a major role in my life. I grew up reading "Creem" magazine; I play several musical instruments as a "hobby";and it seems a camera has always been in my hand. Now, I am combining what I love the most--music and photography--serving as editor of Rock At Night. My motto: life is short...no regrets. Chyrisse

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