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23/02/2008 by WOMBATS

Liverpool Echo - 23 February 2008

LIVE REVIEW, THE PICKET FEB 20

WHAT a difference a year makes. Just 12 months ago The Wombats were another unsigned band dreaming of bigger things.

Now, the quirky trio are hot property. Already this year they’ve played alongside Ringo Starr on the roof of St George’s Hall and been nominated for three NME Awards. Now, just weeks before they headline the Royal Albert Hall, they chose to play their homecoming gig in front of 300 fan-club devotees in the packed Picket.

But this is a band that has never played by the rules. A quirky trio – two Scousers, one Norwegian – they chose to launch their album with a fancy dress boat party on the Mersey.

So, after bounding onto stage just after 10.30pm, it was little surprise that they kicked-off with an unusual choice – little-known album track 'Lost In The Post'.

After their NME cover last week and a steadily building media storm around them, the fans’ expectation level was almost at boiling point. And The Wombats didn’t disappoint. Launching into last summer’s runaway success 'Kill The Director' the crowd sang along with every syllable.

They seemed to have a new confidence, a refreshed silliness that was gratefully filmed by a hundred camera phones, fans eager to capture the moment for posterity.

As the band stood, perched on the edge of bigger things, this was about being back in the place where it all started.

Pausing for a break between songs, singer Murph talked fondly of playing the original Picket venue as a 14-year-old, before powering into the first few lines of 'Let’s Dance To Joy Division', his ode to his hometown. “I’m back in Liverpool and everything seems the same ...”

By the time they got to 'Moving To New York' and 'Backfire At The Disco', the crowd were screaming for more. And I can see why.

With an arsenal of perfectly written pop songs and an ever-growing fanbase, it seems the future is theirs for the taking.