The Wombats at the House of Blues 1/26
I have been listening to the Wombats for at least eight years. Their songs “Here Comes the Anxiety,” “Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves),” “Let’s Dance to Joy Division,” “Jump into the Fog,”and “1996” all make an appearance in my first ever Spotify playlist from April of 2014. I’m honestly surprised that it has taken me this long to go to a Wombats concert given how long I’ve been a fan of theirs, but now that I have been to one of their shows, I don’t think I’ll be able to forgive myself if I ever miss another one of their tours.
At the time of their Boston show the Wombats’ newest album, Fix Yourself, Not the World, had been out for just one week. Going to their show so soon after their new album was released had me a bit nervous about whether or not I’d be able to sing along to most of the songs they would perform. However, a setlist that pulled songs from each of their five albums and some incredibly catchy songs on the newest album made those nerves seem completely irrational. The show opened with“Flip Me Upside Down,” the James Murphy-inspired high energy opener to their newest album, starting the show off strong. Band members Matthew Murphy, Tord Overland Knudsen, and Dan Haggis brought an incredible amount of energy to the stage just in those first three minutes, and that energy didn’t leave the House of Blues until after they had left the stage.
Two of my personal favorite moments of the show happened shortly after I had left the press pit. As I was wandering around different parts of the audience I heard lead singer Matthew Murphy yell out “another magical friday night,” and I knew I needed to get back towards the front of the crowd. By the first chorus I was back at the front, singing along underneath my mask. I was transported back to age sixteen, sitting in the passenger seat of my best friend's car, driving around suburban Massachusetts screaming along to the lyrics of “Pink Lemonade.” After that moment I’m not sure if I stopped singing along for the rest of the show. Before diving into their second to last song before the encore, Murphy gave a little speech about his inspiration for the song “If You Ever Leave, I’m Coming With You.” In interviews he’s described the song as being inspired by the strains 2020 and 2021 put on so many people's relationships, but on stage in Boston, he said that “if you ever leave I’m coming with you” is a phrase his wife said to him just before they got married. It’s likely that both statements are correct, but the idea of someone saying that to their fiancé feels like something straight out of a movie—it’s much more fun to think about that than pandemic-related relationship issues. I now think of that pre-wedding quote every time I listen to the song, and of how amazing the entire concert was every time I listen to any Wombats song.
Overall, the Wombats put on an amazing show, complete with a wombat mascot dancing on stage. I know I’ll be getting tickets for their next tour and I recommend that you do too. The only disappointing thing about a Wombats show is seeing them advertise NFTs on their Instagram a week later.