About The Wombats
The Wombats are an English indie rock band formed in Liverpool in 2003, consisting of Matthew Murphy , Tord Øverland Knudsen , and Dan Haggis . They have sold over 1 million albums worldwide.
The Wombats released several EPs before working on their first full-length album Girls, Boys and Marsupials , which was released only in Japan and featured some tracks that would reappear on their major-label debut studio album A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation . After releasing a self-titled EP in 2008 and touring for three years, they released the studio albums This Modern Glitch , Glitterbug , and Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life , all of which received mostly positive reviews. Their fifth album Fix Yourself, Not the World became their first No. 1 album, topping the UK Albums Chart within a week of release.
The trio met as teenagers in 2003 while studying at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. Lead singer and guitarist Matthew Murphy and drummer Dan Haggis are both from Liverpool, with Murphy having grown up in Woolton and Haggis having grown up in Garston, while bassist Tord Øverland Knudsen is a Norwegian immigrant from Elverum. Over the course of 2004 to 2005, the band released many EPs such as The Hangover Sessions, No.3, and The Daring Adventures of Sgt. Wimbo and His Pet Otter. Their first official release was Lost in the Post, which was issued as a limited edition 7" single on 10 July 2006 on the London-based indie label KIDS Records and came with a distinctive additional second sleeve in the form of a FedEx package. In 2006, the band's first album, Girls, Boys and Marsupials, was released solely in Japan.
In January 2007, the band released a second limited edition 7" on KIDS called Moving to New York , then in May that year they released a third single on KIDS entitled "Backfire at the Disco", which reached No. 35 on the UK Singles Chart. This was followed by the band's first full single after signing to 14th Floor Records, "Kill the Director", in late July. Their debut album, A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation, coincided with the release of "Let's Dance to Joy Division" in October 2007 and peaked at No. 11 on the UK Albums Chart. It was followed by a European tour ending with a Thanksgiving party at Liverpool Academy.
The band started 2008 as the opening act at the opening ceremony of Liverpool's European Capital of Culture celebrations at Liverpool Arena. The single "Moving to New York" was re-released on 14 January 2008 and reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming their highest charting release to date. At the 2008 NME Awards, the band was awarded "Best Dancefloor Filler" for their single "Let's Dance to Joy Division".
In April 2008, the band put out their first U.S. release on the Bright Antenna label, 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, covering the Take That song "Patience" and the Postman Pat theme song, which bassist Tord sang in his native Norwegian.
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