Music

Review: The Wombats return triumphant to O2 Academy Brixton

Liverpool’s The Wombats haven’t toured for three years – not that you need to remind tonight’s sold out crowd.

First, support act, CMPANY, have the small task of playing their first ever London show. Bringing the unexpected British sunshine inside, they manage to hold the crowd’s attention for a swift set. A task Darlia make easy work of as they send vibrations through the venue. Loud, fun and full of strong bass lines, the Northern trio show real promise on a big stage.

There’s double cause for celebration tonight as The Wombat’s new record, Glitterbug, was released just hours earlier. Leaving them to open with album track, Your Body Is A Weapon, before powering through Jump Into The Fog and Moving to New York. Mixing up the setlist, they even play Party In A Forest (Where’s Laura?) and Little Miss Pipedream from their 2006 debut, Girls, Boys and Marsupials.

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“Cheers Brixton, here’s to having this much fun for the rest of our lives,” frontman Matthew wails. There’s little doubt that these three friends are loving every second.

So when Techno Fan drops, it’s even more proof that this is a gig nobody wants to end. The energy continues right into English Summers and being in the crowd when they play Kill The Director may be the closest I’ve ever felt to heaven. Amazing. Joy Division is the triumphant finale (naturally) as the crowd completely explodes – factor in one man dancing atop the bar.

Watching one band have this kind of impact on a crowd is enough to make anyone fall head over heels for The Wombats. That, and the reason I love live music so much.

Check out Tim Easton’s full of gallery of photos from The Wombats, O2 Academy Brixton.