The Wombats, Tortoiseshell @ The Palais, Melbourne (11/05/2011)
When I purchased my tickets for The Wombats at the Palais Theatre, I, like many, couldn’t help but have mixed feelings. My delight of obtaining a ticket creating one-sided joy, while the choice of venue left me perplexed for a band with such energy. However after their performance at the old, full-seated theatre, I was left in little doubt that the organizers behind it know a hell of a lot more than I do when it comes to venue selection.
Opening band Tortoiseshell, got things going with their melodic, upbeat indie. Well received by the entire crowd as they began to pour into their seats on the especially brisk Melbourne night. They were a tight band, comparable perhaps to the likes of The Holidays and others along that line. Of course it was going to be hard to get a true gauge of the crowds feelings towards the band, as being an all ages gig, the screams of something-teen year olds would of blanked out any mumbles of mediocrity.
With a short break in between, Liverpudlian lads The Wombats took to the stage in support of their recently released album This Modern Glitch, kicking off with the albums opener Our Perfect Disease. Leady singer Murph’s twinkling keys getting the crowd frenzied, as I couldn’t tell what was brighter between the extravagant strobe lighting, and the hundreds of braces that reflected it back. Getting straight into the fan favourite Kill The Director from 2007’s A Guide To Love, Loss, and Desperation as cries of “This is no Bridget Jones” could probably be heard all through St Kilda.
After a while of watching what I thought was the photographers taking shots, I realized this was to be a recorded gig, which may explain the venue choice, so keep an eye out for that one. While the venue was seated, the dancing and movement from the crowd was almost like that of a regular gig, without all that needless pushing, suffice to say it was the most comfortable gig I’ve ever been too where I’ve still been able to bust out my awkward oh-so-indie shuffle… and no not as in shuffling.
One of the highlights of the set came from the lesser-known B-side How I Miss Sally Bray, with its swinging bassline strummed by the ever-energized Tord as he bounced to all corners of the stage, proving just why The Wombats are one of the best live acts going about today that don’t rely on gimmicks (see Muse), instead just rely on good old fashion performing to get the fans feet moving.
Closing up the main set with the anthem-like My First Wedding and Triple J favourite Tokyo (Vampires and Wolves) the English lads left the crowd wanting more. They disappeared and returned to the violin opening of Anti-D, with a collection of blinking eyes lighting up the background of the stage. Truly a beautiful moment, as Murph’s passed depression is pretty well documented, you can still feel his connection to this song whenever he performs it live. Of course the moment finally came when the irony was celebrated as Let’s Dance To Joy Division put a stellar end to a stellar set, some people even getting out of their allocated seating to get to the front and dance.
I think the band summed this gig up perfectly when Murph stated, “this doesn’t feel like a rock concert, it’s more like an evening with The Wombats”. The old theatre gave the sort of veneer that alludes most gigs, a fantastic evening, and luckily for us, rumour has it a return is on the cards for the Summer.
Perri Cassie
Opening band Tortoiseshell, got things going with their melodic, upbeat indie. Well received by the entire crowd as they began to pour into their seats on the especially brisk Melbourne night. They were a tight band, comparable perhaps to the likes of The Holidays and others along that line. Of course it was going to be hard to get a true gauge of the crowds feelings towards the band, as being an all ages gig, the screams of something-teen year olds would of blanked out any mumbles of mediocrity.
With a short break in between, Liverpudlian lads The Wombats took to the stage in support of their recently released album This Modern Glitch, kicking off with the albums opener Our Perfect Disease. Leady singer Murph’s twinkling keys getting the crowd frenzied, as I couldn’t tell what was brighter between the extravagant strobe lighting, and the hundreds of braces that reflected it back. Getting straight into the fan favourite Kill The Director from 2007’s A Guide To Love, Loss, and Desperation as cries of “This is no Bridget Jones” could probably be heard all through St Kilda.
After a while of watching what I thought was the photographers taking shots, I realized this was to be a recorded gig, which may explain the venue choice, so keep an eye out for that one. While the venue was seated, the dancing and movement from the crowd was almost like that of a regular gig, without all that needless pushing, suffice to say it was the most comfortable gig I’ve ever been too where I’ve still been able to bust out my awkward oh-so-indie shuffle… and no not as in shuffling.
One of the highlights of the set came from the lesser-known B-side How I Miss Sally Bray, with its swinging bassline strummed by the ever-energized Tord as he bounced to all corners of the stage, proving just why The Wombats are one of the best live acts going about today that don’t rely on gimmicks (see Muse), instead just rely on good old fashion performing to get the fans feet moving.
Closing up the main set with the anthem-like My First Wedding and Triple J favourite Tokyo (Vampires and Wolves) the English lads left the crowd wanting more. They disappeared and returned to the violin opening of Anti-D, with a collection of blinking eyes lighting up the background of the stage. Truly a beautiful moment, as Murph’s passed depression is pretty well documented, you can still feel his connection to this song whenever he performs it live. Of course the moment finally came when the irony was celebrated as Let’s Dance To Joy Division put a stellar end to a stellar set, some people even getting out of their allocated seating to get to the front and dance.
I think the band summed this gig up perfectly when Murph stated, “this doesn’t feel like a rock concert, it’s more like an evening with The Wombats”. The old theatre gave the sort of veneer that alludes most gigs, a fantastic evening, and luckily for us, rumour has it a return is on the cards for the Summer.
Perri Cassie