The Wombats are back with a new album, new tour plan and new attitude.
Fans remember the band hit the big time uber-fast with its 2007 debut, “The Wombats Proudly Present: A Guide to Love Loss & Desperation.” The album went platinum in the United Kingdom, spawning plenty of hot singles and a loyal — and sizable — fan base. After some well-needed time off, the band is now back in the United States for its second tour in six months behind its 2011 release, “The Wombats Proudly Present: This Modern Glitch.”
“We have been thinking about the [next] album but [have] enough to keep us busy with shows and festivals in Europe,” said percussionist Dan Haggis. “We nearly finished the first song but we don’t know if it will make it on to the album or what the album sound will be like. Still, we were excited to get back into the studio and play different types of music and see what comes out.”
| Onstage |
| The Wombats |
| When: 7 p.m. Monday |
| Where: 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW |
| Info: $20; 9:30.com, ticketfly.com; 800-955-5566 |
Excitement was in short supply for the band late in 2008. Marathon tours and multiple recordings took the toll on the trio, which includes frontman Matthew “Murph” Murphy and bassist Tord Overland-Knudsen.
Haggis said they were just on the road too long, and they took lessons from that experience to heart.
“We try not to think too much in the future,” Haggis said. “We take it a day at a time and try not to put too much pressure on ourselves. If you do, you can freak yourself out. You take it easy, one song at a time, one gig at a time and enjoy the whole process as much as possible. If you do that, people will hopefully enjoy the music.”
Clearly, that’s already the case with the band’s single “Jump Into the Fog” charting in the United Kingdom and Australia and gaining wide radio airplay in the U.S. The video for the song has more than 2 million hits on YouTube.
Interesting when you consider the song developed based on an impromptu piano riff that Haggis played at a sound check.
However the music developed, fans have shown their enthusiasm by snapping up tickets at something of a record pace.
“We were over [in the U.S.] in October and for us it was definitely the best tour we have had in the States,” Haggis said. “There were a lot of people that came to our shows, a lot of momentum, and, obviously, we feed off that. Being so far away from home, that is definitely a special feeling.”
