Armed with the release of their catchy new album and the continued success of their classic hits, Liverpool rockers The Wombats took to the stage of UEA's LCR on Sunday night, wowing crowds with their high energy and polished performance.
Early on in The Wombats' sold-out gig, it became apparent this was now a band with a proper back-catalogue of tunes to pick from. The setlist had enough of the new album (Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life) to make it a fresh experience for anyone who had seen them before, while also containing the sing-along classics that everyone knows and loves.
The whole band were at ease and enjoying themselves, an indicator of the confidence they have in the new material as not just something to slot in alongside their other work, but actually augment the show. In fact, Cheetah Tongue and Lemon to a Knife Fight were two of the most crowd pleasing songs of the evening.
Furthermore, the Wombats' quirky lyrics and the renaissance their latest album has given them, has allowed the band to endure where some of their compatriots have fallen away in terms of live appeal. They sound polished and slick, but without diminishing the raucous guitars on early classics such as Let's Dance to Joy Division.
They were helped by the smooth warmth of support acts The Night Cafe, who are quickly making a name for themselves in the indie revival with catchy, chill-out anthems, and the female-fronted BLOXX, again a sound to be seriously considered with their strong, guitar driven tunes.
Overall, the indie party vibe gave the Sunday evening gig a Saturday night feeling. The few hours simply flew by and the audience were left more than satisfied.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here