Wombats (The) Biography

The Wombats are an indie rock band formed in Liverpool, England. The band comprises native Liverpudlians Matthew Murphy (lead vocals, guitar, nose harp, keyboard) and Dan Haggis (drums, percussion and backing vocals), alongside Norwegian-born Tord Øverland-Knudsen (bass guitar and backing vocals). The band are signed to 14th Floor Records and Roadrunner Records in the United States.

The Wombats Proudly Present: A Guide to Love Loss & Desperation (2003-2008)

The three band members met in 2003 at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, soon becoming friends and starting to jam together. In 2006, the band released their debut single Girls, Boys, and Marsupials which was only available as a release in Japan.

In January 2007, the band released a second limited edition vinyl called Moving to New York, then in May of that year they released a third single entitled "Backfire at the Disco", which reached number 35 in the UK Singles Chart. This was followed by then band's first full single "Kill the Director" in late July. Their debut album, entitled The Wombats Proudly Present: A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation, coincided with the release of "Let's Dance to Joy Division" in October 2007, and peaked at number 11 in the UK Albums Chart. This release was followed by a European tour ending with a thanksgiving party at Liverpool Academy.[citation needed]

The band started 2008 as the opening act at the opening ceremony of Liverpool, European Capital of Culture at Liverpool Arena. "Moving to New York" was re-released on 14 January 2008 and reached number 13 UK Singles Chart, becoming their highest charting release to date. On the 28th February 2008 the band was awarded 'Best Dancefloor Filler' for their single "Let's Dance To Joy Division" at the NME Awards.

The Wombat EP (2008-2010)

April 2008 marked the band's first release in the U.S., The Wombats EP. Following this release the band went on a full UK tour, as well as playing dates in Europe and Japan. The band also played for Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 1 where they covered the Take That song "Patience", as well as the Postman Pat theme tune, which Tord sang in his native Norwegian language.

The summer of 2008 saw the band perform live at a number of major festivals including Glastonbury Festival in June and T in the Park in July, opening the BBC Radio 1 / NME Stage set on the Friday. They also played Reading and Leeds Festival on the Saturday and Friday respectively on the Radio 1/NME Stage supporting Babyshambles.

The band also announced via their MySpace blog that they would be releasing two singles, a seasonal 'Anti-Christmas' themed "Is This Christmas?" on December 15, 2008, followed by a track titled "My Circuitboard City" on March 3, 2009.

In September of 2010, The Wombats announced their collaboration with Megathere on Megathere's album "Not Quite There Yet." The band is an alternative indie pop rock band from Weatherford, Texas. This is the first collaboration The Wombats have done with an American band. Megathere's debut album is scheduled to premiere July 3, 2011.

The Wombats Proudly Present... This Modern Glitch (2010-Present)

The Wombats are currently putting the finishing touches to their upcoming second album in the NRG Recording Studio in Los Angeles, CA.[citation needed] Produced by Eric Valentine (Queens of the Stone Age, Lostprophets), the album, entitled The Wombats Proudly Present... This Modern Glitch , will be released on the 11th April, 2011 and will be available as a CD, two 7" vinyl or in digital format. As well as Valentine, the trio have also collaborated on the project with producer Jacknife Lee. Some tracks that have been rumored for the record are "Perfect Disease", "How I Miss Sally Bray", "Jump Into The Fog", "Motorphobia", "Schumacher the Champagne", "Shot Goodbyes and P45s", "I Never Knew I was a Techno Fan" and "How to Pack Your Bags and Leave", the last of which they played on their UK tour in November, 2008. Lead singer Matthew Murphy also revealed that the first song on the album is called "Anti- D".

The band made track 'Jump Into The Fog' available as a free download via their official website in November 2010. Zane Lowe named 'Jump Into The Fog' the 'hottest record in the world' on his BBC Radio 1 show.

Murphy originally hoped for the album to be released at the end of November or the start of December, 2010, however, the date has been listed as the 7th February, 2011 on the pre-order section of shopping websites. The first single to be released from the album, "Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)", was released in August, 2010 and charted at number 23 on the UK Singles Chart. This marked the band's fifth Top 40 hit and their third most successful single behind "Moving to New York" and "Let's Dance to Joy Division". The music video for "Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)" was shot in Los Angeles, CA on the 19 and 20 August, 2010 and was directed by The General Assembly. The second single to be released from the album is entitled "Jump Into The Fog" and was confirmed in December 2010 to have a release date of 24 January 2011, a fortnight prior to the release of the album. The single features B-Sides which are thought to be from the first batch of songs they recorded for their record company, they are 'How I Miss Sally Bray' 'Valentine' and 'Addicted To The Cure'.