Glitterbug: The Wombats, Live

Nick and I went to see The Wombats at Hordern Pavilion in Sydney yesterday. It was our second time seeing this pop band from Liverpool, England. It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that we saw them, but it was actually last July. Time really flies!

When we saw them in July I just had Nick tag along because I was photographing the concert. I remember being reluctant to photograph since I was so tired, but as Seb and I agreed – sometimes the concerts you are most reluctant and ‘meh’ to go to are actually the ones that end up being the most fun. That concert ended up being very fun. Nick enjoyed it too.

I had only heard one song by the Wombats, but between July and last night, I listened to all their albums and could definitely pick a handful of favourite songs. I wasn’t photographing last night either, and it was nice to just enjoy the show.

The Wombats were supported by Last Dinosaurs, a band I followed for a good while from their very early music. They were the epitome of modern dance-rock, something which is pretty hard to come by these days. I liked Last Dinosaurs’ latest album, and I know they went on a bit of a hiatus so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was a pretty solid album though, and they played some songs from it.

I love how lead singer and guitarist Sean Caskey said, ‘Are you guys having a good…’ before jumping into their song Weekend. I paid a lot of attention to their set especially since it had been some time since I saw the band. They sneakily sung a few lines of Cher’s Believe in the bridge of one of their songs as it fit the chords. I love when bands do that. Before they left the stage, Last Dinosaurs made sure they sung Andy and A Million Years – the songs that made them famous, really.

The Wombats opened with Give Me A Try, which Nick and I have dubbed our favourite song. That bass line is hard to un-hear once you hear it! Although we could have left happy, we didn’t dare miss the rest of the set, which was adorned with hits both old and new. It was really an honour to welcome in the new year with a show by The Wombats, who chose to end their Glitterbug album tour in Sydney.

Tokyo was somewhere towards the end of the set, and I had momentarily forgotten about it. Nick asked me once what was with British bands having some kind of obsession with Japan – he did wonder why Blur had such an Asian-inspired The Magic Whip album. I’m not sure, but I also haven’t noticed other bands’ obsessions with Asia or Japan, maybe the Beatles?

Let’s Dance to Joy Division was a predictable end to what was still an amazing show. I’d definitely go and see The Wombats again because they were very fun to watch. :D

Are you a Wombats fan? Have you reluctantly seen a musician live but ended up liking them a lot?