6 December 2022 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane – words – Emma Dilemma – pictures – Bec Harbour
I don’t think I have ever attended a packed-out Fortitude Music Hall on a Tuesday night for an All-Ages gig, but I wasn’t missing a chance to dance to The Wombats. In Aus for the Spilt Milk Festival, the Liverpool trio thrilled fans with some side shows, and on this sweltering school night, it was Brisbane’s turn.
Some support acts will play almost timidly to a bustling and distracted crowd, but Tyne-James Organ plays as though he’s sold out a stadium. Hitting the stage with 2018’s ‘Graceful’, he was clearly pumped to ready the fans for The Wombats. Organ and his band immediately caught the attention of many, and by the third track, ‘Hold Me Back’, the audience was putty in his hands.
Playing a handful of tracks from his debut album Necessary Evil, the Wollongong native was excited to “be back”. After performing a raw and solo ‘Heal You’ he declared it was “time to dance” with ‘Not Ready for Love’ as the band returned to the stage. The 25-year-old has the moves and presence of Mick Jagger, and the crowd were loving it. The energetic set was closed out with ‘Sunday Suit’ following his Like A Version cover of ‘The Kooks’ track ‘Naive’.
Between sets the crowd collectively performed an impromptu “Pub Choir” with everyone belting out ‘Teenage Dirtbag’, ‘I Want to Break Free’, and finally ‘Hey Ya!’ which The ‘BATS may have let us finish before they burst onto a Rubix Cube-like stage with literal fireworks and ‘Moving to New York’.
The Wombats are seriously good at what they do. Their live act is polished and joyful, delivering the tracks their fans want to hear. They delighted all with a fun 17-song set, curated with highs – ‘Tokyo’ and ‘Kill the Director’ – and slows – a down tempo ‘Lethal Combination’ giving us a “Hey Jude moment”. We were even treated to some new stuff, – ‘I Think My Mind Has Made Its Mind Up’ and the title track from recent EP Is This What It Feels Like to Feel Like This? It was banger after banger. Props to the sound techs, the sound was flawless the entire evening, highlighting the well-oiled machine the indie rockers have become.
Peeps of all ages danced and jumped around, singing along with every single song. The band encouraged this, of course, pumping us up with, “techno time” – ‘Techno Fan’, a trombone-playing wombat – ‘Ready for The High’, and taking all the right breaks for the crowd to cheer the lyrics – including a collective “WHOO!” for the intro of ‘…Joy Division’ (dancing wombats included).
Despite playing for almost 2 hours, the night was over all too soon, and with a 3-song encore The ‘BATS bid farewell to Brisbane, wrapping up with one of my absolute faves, ‘Turn’. The night was over, but the return of live music is only getting started, and this was a night I will not soon forget.
I can’t wait to see what 2023 has to offer! Hopefully more Wombats.
