They’re from the U.K., not Australia, these Wombats. In fact, U.K. fans and critics are going so wild over this trio’s eclectic brand of what I call Indie Doo Wop that their Liverpudlian origins have encouraged comparisons to their legendary local forbears, The Beatles. There are seven letters in the bands’ names and they both have contagious melodies, harmonies, and lyrics. Though The Wombats met at Liverpool’s Performing Arts Academy founded by Paul McCartney, the comparisons end there; The Beatles operated with more personnel and Wombats are higher on the food chain.
Before their packed show at Paris’s fine indie music venue La Maroquinerie Thursday night, I had the opportunity to talk with The Wombats’ Dan Haggis (drums, vocals, keyboards) and Tord Knudsen, which sounds like “Thor” in conversation (bass, keyboard, vocals), while Matthew Murphy (lead vocals, guitar) was off munching baguettes and communing with the Muse. We talked about their birth, thanks to the midwife of alcohol; their growth in popularity up to their recent debut release; their nuanced sound and lyrics; and their future plans.
The Birth of The Wombats
The pogo-able pieces they play have been about four years in the making.
Tord, the bass-playing Norseman, Dan, and “Murph” Murphy met at the Liverpool Performing Arts Academy through friends of friends in the dormitories. Yet, they didn’t work their harmonies out in course projects. They met as probably most great troubadours do: around their pints of mead.
As Dan summed it up after a few anecdotes about parties and cricket games, “I guess the theme here is we’re an alcohol-induced band.” I wondered if all the other great art school-born bands were conceived the same way? But I can’t imagine David Byrne playing cricket, and I’d wager the Gang of Four met at a young Marxist reading group.
I followed up on the choice of a marsupial for a name and learned that for these three poly-instrumentalists destined to become The Wombats, the jolly magnetism of social drinking was nearly inseparable from musical creativity and animal fetishes.
“After a few hazy nights together drinking, we wrote that song about the goat,” Dan chuckled.
“The day of the first show, the promoter asked us for our name. We said we didn’t have one one yet. He said, ‘Just give me anything,’ and Dan offered, ‘The Wombats.’” Added Tord. “Actually there were several animals in the running: Goats, a rhinoceros, wombats. Our first song was 'Ode to Charles the Goat.' It was just the three of us having a laugh.”
Article comments
1 - Gizzmo
Fun article! I do however believe the band is talking about NoFX and Motorpsycho, not No Effects and Motorcycle :)