Ironworks, Inverness, 14 May 2008

The Wombats at The Ironworks, Inverness (photo - Elizabeth Sinclair).

ALMOST a year after their first Highland performance at Rockness 2007, the Wombats returned to Inverness as part of their most recent tour. The Liverpudlian band played to a sell out crowd at the Ironworks and didn’t disappoint their Highland fan base.

Support was ably provided by fellow Liverpool band goFaster, who’s upbeat and lively tunes ensured that the crowd were suitably warmed up for the main attraction.

After opening with the acoustic ‘Tales of Girls and Boys and Marsupials’, the Wombats launched into what is to be their next single from debut album, Wombats Proudly Present a Guide to Love Loss and Desperation. ‘Kill the Director’ is a typical Wombat song, with the song’s catchy chorus setting the tone for the evening, getting the up-for-it crowd dancing and jumping around enthusiastically.

Next up was ‘School Uniforms’, dedicated to those still at school – judging by the cheers that filled the venue, that was a large percentage of the crowd. Here’s hoping not too many of them were sitting their Higher English exam the next day.

The pace then slowed with a few less energetic songs from the album – with lead singer Murph encouraging the crowd to engage in the ‘loving time’ and to feel up the bum of someone you’ve never met before!

Songs such as ‘Party in a Forest’, ‘Little Miss Pipedream’ and ‘Here Comes the Anxiety’ could never be classed as ballads but certainly have a slower pace compared to some songs on the album, and shows the versatility of the band. With songs about falling in love with strippers and falling in love with your doctor, there is a clear theme running throughout the album, but it’s definitely not your typical love album!

The opening chords of hit single ‘Lets Dance to Joy Division’ sent the crowd into a frenzy, with arms higher in the air, and people jumping around more than they had been all evening. The band departed the stage for a quick break, before returning for their encore (accompanied by a giant inflatable wombat suspended from the ceiling in front of the stage).

‘My First Wedding’ went down well, but it was really current single ‘Backfired at the Disco’ that ended the evening on a high for so many people in the crowd.

The Wombats have moved on from Rockness this year and are playing the Friday evening at T in the Park. With this years Rockness just around the corner, here’s hoping another band like the Wombats will be discovered and will be gracing the Ironworks with their presence in the not to distant future.

© Elizabeth Sinclair, 2008

Links

• Wombats
• Ironworks