The Wombats have been a real force in the indie music scene for almost twenty years, and are still at the top of their game - recently releasing their first number one album, Fix Yourself, Not the World. Ahead of their trip to Rock City in October, we catch up with bassist Tord Øverland-Knudsen to discuss the band’s evolution over the years…
2003 feels like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it? We didn’t have a King, for a start. We also didn’t have a Tory Government. We didn’t even have a crippling cost-of-living crisis. It was a different time, and one that saw a trio of students at the University of Liverpool decide to set up a band that would become The Wombats - a fresh new entrant to the indie music scene, and an addition that would remain at the forefront of that scene ever since.
If you’re thinking, “Blimey, they’ve actually been around for ages,” well, you’re not the only one - Tord Øverland-Knudsen, the band’s bassist from day one, can’t quite believe it’s been almost two decades, either. “I’ll never get used to that,” the Norwegian admits when reminded that their twentieth anniversary is just around the corner. “That’s a long time.”
A long time it may be, but that doesn’t mean The Wombats are slowing down any time soon. In fact, they’re arguably flying higher than ever, with the three-piece - which also includes lead singer Matthew Murphy and drummer Dan Haggis - recently bagging their first UK number one album, Fix Yourself, Not the World.
A release that “meant so much to so many” was largely crafted during the COVID lockdowns, with several songs reflecting on the challenges that torrid old time brought about. Like every album from the trio, it’s a fascinating listen that plays like a carefully-crafted package, underpinned by a unique vision that feels meticulously planned from the offset. That’s not always the case, though, the forty-year-old admits.
Rock City is a legendary venue. The atmosphere is great. Everyone working there is great. It almost has a family vibe - you don't get that in many other places
“We never really overthink it,” Tord muses when asked about how each record comes together. “We never set off to say ‘let’s make an electronic album’ or anything like that. We rarely lay down rules, because we see them more as boundaries. Instead, we approach the process by trying things out to see what’s exciting, regardless of how wrong it can go in the beginning.
“We always try to have fun first and foremost, which is probably why it takes us a bit of time to release albums… We have to go through that process of writing five or six songs to discover where we’re heading sonically. There’s never any set template for how we do things.” So the magic formula for staying at the top of the indie game for so long, it turns out, is to have no real formula at all. Instead, it appears to primarily rely on getting three mates together in a studio and giving them time to enjoy the music-making process.
Yet it is the time the guys spend away from each other, working on side hustles and personal projects, that helps to keep things fresh too. Tord has several avenues of creativity on the go at all times, including Sunship Balloon with Wombats bandmate Dan, and Matthew continues to work on solo records with Love Fame Tragedy.
“Everybody should do that, try different things,” Tord asserts. “I think a lot of bands can go a bit stale if they don’t have separate homes for all their different ideas. We’ve always done our own projects because we have such a wide range of interests. The style of The Wombats has always been one kind of music that I like making, but I’m always wanting to branch off into other areas too. I enjoy electronic music, for example, so I’m making that on the side - and that has then fed back into my work with the band, on tracks like Method to the Madness.”
We always try to have fun first and foremost, which is probably why it takes us a bit of time to release albums…
This open-minded approach has helped The Wombats to remain a key player in an industry that is constantly evolving, with each new release sounding different to the last. Debut album A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation is a raw, relentless, guitar-heavy ride; 2018’s Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life is an atmospheric, Arcade Fire-esque pop-rock piece; this year’s Fix Yourself, Not the World is packed with energetic, experimental post-punk beats.
Exploring fresh sounds and blending new genres is crucial to remaining innovative in an increasingly adventurous area of music. “Back when we started, I think more people were slightly purist when it came to indie rock, saying it has to be done a certain way to be respected,” Tord muses. “But over time that has changed, and more people are open to trying new things - you can drop hip-hop or electronic vibes on top of guitar tracks and it's fine, nobody's going to find that weird any more. I think that’s really nice, it gives you more tools to play with.”
The Wombats’ increasingly scopious soundscape won’t be stopping any time soon. The band have already announced that a new EP, Is This What It Feels Like to Feel Like This?, is on the way in November, which, while “definitely in the same ballpark as the latest album”, will also pack some tunes that people might not expect. “There’s a track with drum and bass beats, which we've never done before. There are some more grungy numbers too. It should be a very exciting EP.”
Before then, though, the trio have the small matter of a national tour to navigate - which will take them from Newcastle to Norwich and, most importantly, Nottingham. Fourteen years after headlining Rock City for the first time, the band are back at what Tord describes as “one of the legends” of the country’s indie scene. “It’s probably the place we’ve played the most outside of Liverpool,” he adds with a grin. “It's perfect for a band like us; not too big, but it's big enough. I always enjoy going there. The atmosphere is great. Everyone working there is great. It almost has a family vibe - you don't get that in many other places.”
With inspiring side projects, a constantly-evolving sound and a fun-first approach to making music, you can expect them to continue headlining the legendary venue for many more years to come.
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