★★★★★

The Liverpudlian trio have been performing together for one and a half decades and this is clear for all to see given how well they feed off each other’s energy. Constantly hyping up one another and the crowd increasingly as their gigs go on.

The band were preceded by Bloxx and The Nightcafe. Bloxx opened the night in a very fitting way playing their own alternative tunes again and again, seriously exciting the Aberdeen crowd. Bloxx were a very impressive initiation to what promised to be a great night. Not to mention how refreshing it is to see a female led band creating waves in the music scene.

They were followed by The Nightcafe who after some initial audio problems kept the crowd entertained with guitar heavy songs and impressive instrumentals, barely stopping for a breath. If the humility of Bloxx was one of their stand out characteristics, the attitude of The Nightcafe was equally impressive. Finishing their set with a simple “cheers” and walking off the stage was reminiscent of the Gallagher brothers’ total confidence in their music.

After a 15-minute break The Wombats strutted out to endless cheers from their fans. They opened the night with the first track from their new album – Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life – “Cheetah Tongue”. This went down very well with the eager crowd. The energy that The Wombats bring to all their gigs was clear to see from the outset. They followed it up with “Give Me a Try” from 2015 Album Glitterbug. This excited the few fans who weren’t completely out of their shell after the newer song and brought the whole crowd together in unison.

“1996” was the 3rd song of the night and the 1st from what can be considered “classic” Wombats. After the last notes of “1996” there was a long pause as the audience waited with bated breath. They were not left disappointed as Tord Knudsen slowly strummed the opening chords to “Kill The Director”, this was when the band really came into their own, electrifying the crowd. “Black Flamingo”, another from the new album, proceeded it and unsurprisingly went down a treat with the packed crowd at the Ballroom. Fans were then impressed by feverish, upbeat classic “Techno Fan” before they delivered an accomplished performance of “Lemon to a Knife Fight” – the lead single of the new album.





The band joked that it was their last song of the night which was met with a chorus of jeers that nearly rivalled the constant adoration they had been receiving all night. “Pink Lemonade” was quickly followed by “Jump into the Fog” which kept the fans more than satisfied. “Moving to New York” was the next track, and if the fans were satisfied with the last two tunes then this sent them into delirium. “Lethal Combination” was what The Wombats billed as the penultimate song of the night and it received the reception it deserved.

This was followed by their highest charting and most popular single, “Let’s Dance to Joy Division”. The indie-pop classic, had the crowd in near hysterics. This would’ve been a fitting end to the night. However, after a short time they returned to play “Turn” another from the new album which, despite only being released at the start of February, had the whole crowd singing “It won’t get better than this”. How they were wrong. This was followed up by two classics, “Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)” and “Greek Tragedy”. The former was in keeping with all the tunes they played that evening; upbeat, energetic and loved by the fans. As aforementioned they ended the show with one of their most popular songs “Greek Tragedy”, it was possibly one of the slower songs of the night, which for anyone who knows this song will convey just how energetic the Wombats truly are. With roughly a 1:3 ratio of new music to old, there was something for fans of the new album as well as plenty for fans of the old classics. They finished swiftly with a quick bow and disappeared off stage for a much-deserved rest after delivering a show that all at the Aberdeen Beach Ballroom will struggle to forget.

If there is one word to summarise this band it is energy. From start to finish they delivered a high-octane performance. Whilst the new album is more reliant on the lyrics than those that have come before, it demonstrates the maturation of a band that can now bring both intense performances and high-quality lyrics. It would be an injustice not to give a special mention to bassist Tord Øverland Knudsen, who gave a dynamic performance from start to finish.

Big thanks to Aarron Macleod for writing the review and attending the gig on short notice and also to Lindsay Forsyth for the photos.

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