Anne WidjajaVerdict: The Wombats @ The Enmore
August 11th 2008 14:27
After an exhausting list of tour dates and with a relatively small on album repertoire the band have become a well oiled live gigging machine, playing out every repeated bridge of harmonised oohs and ahhs to the delight of their predominately female, hook hungry crowd. Opening with the first single Kill the Director, they extend the beginning bars of the song just to send the crowd over the edge with anticipation (not that they needed it). And, as soon as those first lyrics are sing-spoken by Murphy, the first rows in the standing area begin to pulsate with ecstatic energy. 'This is no Bridget Jones' is left to the audience to sing, well rather shout, with surprisingly aggressive conviction after Murphy himself is drowned out. The band seamlessly rip through each song from their debut album A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation to perfection; every note, every guitar riff, every chorus is spot on. But just to keep things interesting the set is cohesively bridged together by a jam consisting of a couple of notes from the end of songs, building up the 'ooh what song are they playing now' excitement. Just when I though I would get a moment to breath for the only 'quiet' moment on the album Here Comes the Anxiety , the crowd, visibly beginning to tire after all the relentless bopping, relays the lyrics with enthusiasm and swaying hand action that matches the reception of the faster songs, crooning lyrics 'I think I'll just be honest' and later Little Miss Pipedream's 'I'd cheat a priest just to get to you' with an empathy for Murphy's lyrics that are the key to The Wombats popularity. Catchy lyrics that aren't drawled or mumbled, catchy hooks and riffs, fast paced cymbal heavy drum beats and an easy sing along line in every song, are a perfect formula for digestible guitar pop in its purest form. The highlight of the evening, Let's Dance to Joy Division invokes a literal meaning to the phrase 'jumping beans' as the crowd attempts to jump/dance/jig/whatever around in time to the frenetically paced drums and guitar riffs, yelling every lyric louder and louder with the increasing deafness of each punter. And just as you think the band couldn't be any more likable Murphy mentions the 'Harold Bishop Appreciation Society' (about three times) between songs and decides to wear a giant green and gold sombrero for a little while until he looks as if he is about to drown in his own sweat. The epic closer, My First Wedding brings out the angry, jealous ex in everyone in the crowd especially with the chorus 'She's not that beautiful!' yelled like a mantra for the first wive's club. The Wombats certainly are the little band that could...and judging from the new song they previewed (only ever officially played live for the 2nd time) the best is yet to come.
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