In the Wombats’ recent video for “Greek Tragedy,” the indie-rock lads end up stabbed, electrocuted and choked to death by an overly obsessed fan. Lest they forget, that obsession is the kind of thing their music inspires worldwide. Well, hopefully not that kind of obsession. But hey, their fans love ’em, and with good reason. The Wombats assemble some of the catchiest, energetic indie-pop/rock around; deliver spirited, impassioned performances; and are kinda easy on the eyes. Let’s just say the three Liverpudlians -- who delivered an amusing take on the whole online dating thing with their new “Give Me a Try” video -- won’t be updating any Match.com profiles any time soon. Or will they?
“Never say never, I guess,” the Wombats’ drummer, Dan Haggis, joked. “So far, none of us have got a dating profile. It feels like it would be weird, but it’s such a big part of society, isn’t it? I can totally see how it becomes a game. People are so different online, aren’t they?”
Maybe it’s a good thing that the Wombats don’t spend too much time online. After all, they’ve got a pretty successful thing going with this whole music gig. After meeting at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, the band (which includes Haggis, guitarist/singer Matthew Murphy and bassist Tord Overland Knudsen) released a debut album called “Girls, Boys, and Marsupials” in 2006 and found their following singles blowing up the UK charts. It was only a matter of time before they were winning NME awards and playing massive festivals like Glastonbury. Through it all, the trio are still the same guys that met up originally at university -- even getting a bit anxious still before shows.
“I think we all get nervous,” Haggis said. “It sounds worse than it is though. I think there are good nerves and bad nerves -- we get good nerves. You get butterflies in the stomach; your adrenaline starts pumping. Funny though, the smaller shows can be more nerve-wracking. You feel very naked in such a close setting like that.”
One thing they’re not sweating though -- their new album, “Glitterbug.” Featuring the songs from the two aforementioned videos (which have been streamed, like, a bajillion times on YouTube, mind you), it’s some of their best work to-date -- which may be a result of recording in a more relaxed atmosphere.
“Writing these songs and making this album felt so refreshing and invigorating. The second album, we felt a little more pressured, but we’ve learned from the first two. We wanted to take our time and make the album we wanted to. We’ve never been more proud of an album,” said Haggis.
For a band that got their start by pumping out legit rock tunes with an unbridled fury, the new record’s sound borders a bit on the dancier side, which sits right with Haggis.
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“The first album, we were in one room in university, playing songs and having fun doing gigs," he said. "Over a couple years, we started finding a sound, and we built up a repertoire of songs that became the first album. After touring for a while, we found that we love playing piano and synths. We love electronic music as well… So we just tried to incorporate different styles of music into what we do.”
So you’ll be doing plenty of rocking and dancing come Wednesday, May 13, if the Wombats have anything to say about it. Samsies for the three Brits.
“It’s been a long winter,” Haggis said. “We’re looking forward to getting to California and getting some sun on our skin.”
The Wombats headline House of Blues on Wednesday, May 13, with Life in Film and Cheerleader opening. The show is all ages. Tickets are $27.50 and are available here.
Dustin Lothspeich plays in Old Tiger, Diamond Lakes and Boy King. Follow his updates on Twitter or contact him directly.