“We all wore smart suits and had six giant wombats dance on stage with us, it was a very special evening!”
Indie trio, The Wombats are back with their new album, ‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life.’ The Liverpool lads are heading out on their UK tour, which sees them gracing the stage of Newcastle’s O2 Academy on Tuesday 20th March. I caught up with them for a chat ahead of their hugely anticipated performance.
Your fourth album, ‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’ is due for release on Friday 9th February. Can you tell us a little bit about the creative process behind the record?
Yeah, Well Murph wrote a bunch of songs in LA then we all got together in Norway and wrote a bunch of songs together. Eventually we chose our favourite tracks for the album and fine-tuned them. After 6 weeks of recording in London with Mark Crew, Catherine Marks and Rob Whiteley, we had the album finished!
‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’ is quite the profound statement. Is there a story behind the title?
I would say it was more of an observation, that the people you love and admire the most can often be the ones that hurt you and break your heart.
As part of your March UK tour, you’re taking to the stage of the Newcastle O2 Academy. Can gig-goers expect to hear some of your earlier tunes throughout your set?
Of course! We’ll be playing a mixture of all four albums.
The success of The Wombats has seen you perform worldwide. What do you consider the highlight of the bands musical journey so far?
There’s been so many it’s kind of hard to choose! But, I guess playing two sold-out nights at The Sydney Opera House was a highlight. We all wore smart suits and had six giant wombats dance on stage with us, the crowd were just a sea of smiling faces; it was a very special evening!
What would you say your main source of inspiration is in terms of writing your material?
Predominantly real-life events… but films, books and other music can be a source of inspiration too. Many of our songs are slightly embellished autobiographical moments from Murph’s life.
What’s your favourite part about performing live?
I love those moments where the crowd and ourselves feed off each other. The energy in the room is unlike any other feeling I’ve ever experienced. I also love the unexpected, whether it’s something that happens on stage spontaneously, or someone proposing to their girlfriend during the show; stuff like that.
The Newcastle O2 Academy is a wonderful venue. If you had to choose, would you prefer to play small or large gigs?
It most certainly is! We’ve had so many good shows there. The Geordies know how to let their hair down, much like Scousers! I like variety, I love the intimacy of a small venue, but the other worldly feeling of playing in front of 40,000 people at a festival is an insane buzz.
Are there any particular tunes from your body of work that you enjoy playing the most?
I’ve been enjoying playing Cheetah Tongue on this US tour; it’s always fun playing new songs! Greek Tragedy is always a fun one on drums!
2018 sees you touring extensively across the globe. Which dates are the three of you the most excited about?
Well, Newcastle O2 Academy of course!
The Wombats will play Newcastle O2 Academy on Tuesday 20th March. Tickets, priced at £23.65 from seetickets.com.
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