- Title: USA: Liverpool band "the Wombats" hit New York to promote their latest album
- Date: 1st June 2011
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MAY 31, 2011) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) MATTHEW 'MURPH' MURPHY, LEAD SINGER, THE WOMBATS, SAYING: "I'd probably agree with that whole-heartedly really." (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAN HAGGIS, DRUMMER, THE WOMBATS, SAYING: "I mean it depends if you're talking about as like musicians or like lookers. I'd say in terms of us three sexual beings, of course we're the hottest thing out of Liverpool in the last ten years, that goes without saying, probably ever really to be honest. In terms of band, as well I guess." (SOUNDBITE) (English) MATTHEW 'MURPH' MURPHY, LEAD SINGER, THE WOMBATS, SAYING: "There's not many bands who've come out of Liverpool, post the kind of 90's, sexy, Curly, Crescent kind of stuff that I don't know - we don't sound Liverpudlian, I guess maybe that is what helps set us a part."
- Embargoed: 16th June 2011 03:19
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa, Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA5PISB4B29ZCTNAN9DEAN9084S
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Indie pop group "the Wombats" are considered by some as Liverpool's greatest music export in a decade.
"I'd probably agree with that whole-heartedly," the band's lead singer Matthew Murphy joked.
"There's not many bands who've come out of Liverpool, post the kind of 90's, sexy, Curly, Crescent kind of stuff that - I don't know, we don't sound Liverpudlian, I guess maybe that is what helps set us a part," he added more seriously.
The group formed in 2003 after meeting at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts and three years later released their debut single "Girls, Boys, and Marsupials", which was only available as a release in Japan. One year later, their debut album "The Wombats Proudly Present: A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation" peaked at number 11 on the UK charts.
Following this release, the group embarked on a non-stop tour for nearly two-years. Although the guys say the tour nearly burned them out, they say they wouldn't have it any other way.
'We're all sharks basically, I think as soon as we stop moving it feels, it starts to feel like weird and then all of us just start smiling more when we are on tour," said drummer Dan Haggis.
"When the album stopped, I don't think we knew really what the hell to do with ourselves," Murphy added.
The band explained how those feelings took them away from their normally upbeat lyrics and towards some of the new album's more introspective tracks.
"Our first album is kind of it's quite kind of bubble-gummy and teenagery although there still elements of kind of bleaker stuff going on, it's still personal...We didn't want to just replicate our first album. We wanted to push ourselves in every way and do something a little bit different," Murphy told Reuters.
"This Modern Glitch" finished up at number 2 in Australia and number 3 in UK in its first week and features the groups first ballad, "Anti-D."
"It was kind of about my experiences on and off anti-depressants and when I stopped taking them and this song came about and I guess - it's probably being talked about because no one would have ever expected a band like us to release something like that, so I'm glad that we did," said Murphy.
Although the guys have been a successful music act since 2003 they say they're still trying to get use to 'fame."
"I don't think we feel famous really. There are moments were you kind of have to - there are moments that kind of freak you out whatever. I was just walking along from doing an interview and then I got this Facebook message from someone I'd never met before and she was like, I know you're not going to believe this but I am actually in love with you - and I was a bit like, what the hell is going on - I'm walking around New York with, receiving something like that," said Murphy.
The Wombats U.S. tour will include stops in Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco before returning overseas. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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