The Wombats

Formed in Liverpool in 2003, The Wombats bring together Matthew Murphy, Dan Haggis and Norwegian bassist Tord Øverland Knudsen, whom they met at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. The trio initially followed the path of 2000s British indie rock, delivering short, nervy and melodic songs informed by post-punk revival, alternative pop and progressively stronger synth accents. After several EPs, The Wombats released Girls, Boys and Marsupials in Japan in 2006, then A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation in 2007, an album that established their songwriting between guitar-driven energy, immediate choruses and an ironic take on urban life. Subsequent releases show a shift toward more electronic production and a smoother yet still rhythmic pop, from This Modern Glitch (2011) to Glitterbug (2015) and Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life (2018). A regular presence on festival circuits in the UK, Europe, Australia and the US, The Wombats continued to broaden their range with Fix Yourself, Not the World (2022) and Oh! The Ocean (2025). Throughout their work, the tension between rock nervousness, danceable basslines and themes of anxiety, relationships and everyday contradictions remains a constant thread.