Reviewed on Sunday January 3
Last Dinosaurs were the perfect opening act for The Wombats’ final headline show of their Glitterbug Tour. The Brisbane indie-pop foursome filled the packed-to-capacity dancefloor with their sunshine-infused beats, infectious energy and humorous banter.
The openers’ light-hearted approach to what could have been a daunting day at the office for a young band was embraced by a crowd of all ages, from coloured-haired co-eds to 20-somethings and middle-aged rockers. A particular high point was lead vocalist Sean Caskey’s self-deprecating attitude when remarking this was the first support gig they’d played without the audience mistaking them for the Jonas Brothers.
By the time everyone’s second-favourite Liverpudlian band The Wombats took to the stage, the Hordern Pavilion dancefloor felt more like a trendy nightclub than a generic event space. The honorary Australians (they’ve visited our shores three times in less than 12 months) launched straight into Glitterbug’s second single ‘Give Me A Try’ before frontman Matthew ‘Murph’ Murphy wished the receptive crowd a Happy New Year.
After that it was on for young and old as the polished three-piece pumped out hit after hit. 2011’s This Modern Glitch singles ‘Jump Into The Fog’, ‘Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)’ and ‘1996’ were a blast from the past, while the impressive light show and cityscape backdrop kept all eyes glued to the stage.
The 2008 charity single ‘Is This Christmas?’ pondered the reason for the season and caused a spike in sales at the merch stand, with The Wombats’ Christmas jumper completely selling out. But the fun didn’t stop there, as the show rolled on with ‘Be Your Shadow’, ‘Kill The Director’ and ‘Emoticons’, culminating in a solo acoustic performance of ‘Isabel’ by Murph.
The volume was then cranked to 11 with the dancefloor anthem ‘Techno Fan’ before The Wombats dived head-first into their debut smash, ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’. Once the Christmas sweaters were soaked through, the night ended with an impromptu jam dedicated to another great Brit in the late Lemmy Kilmister.
