The Wombats fill Bournemouth with chaos, tears, and dancing marsupials to mark the end of their Oh! The Ocean tour
The band brought their tour to Bournemouth International Centre.
Photo: Billie Wheeler
The Wombats have been cranking out infectious, joy-fuelled indie bangers since the mid-2000s, and with their latest album Oh! The Ocean, they prove they’ve absolutely still got it. In fact, judging by the crowd’s ecstatic reaction at the Bournemouth International Centre, they might even have more of “it” now than they did in 2007 when they released their debut album A Guide To Love, Loss and Desperation. This album cranked out two of their most adored tracks that are still being played and enjoyed everywhere today, Let’s Dance To Joy Division and Kill The Director, and if someone doesn’t know The Wombats, all you have to say is “I’ve met someone that makes me feel seasick…” and, chances are, they would finish off the lyrics for you.
This beloved trio, Matthew Murphy on guitar and vocals, Tord Øverland Knudsen on bass and Dan Haggis on drums, have been navigating the music world’s ups, downs and occasional absurdities since their university days in Liverpool. Back then, they christened themselves The Wombats because that’s what they called each other when they were being idiots. Fortunately, the name stuck, and so did their knack for irresistible chaos.
The night’s energy was already sky-high thanks to The Snuts, who delivered an outstanding support set with the kind of effortless cool that makes you look up at the stage and think, “Yep, that’s what rock stars are supposed to look like.” They fired through some of their best tracks, such as Always, Glasgow and Hallelujah Moment, with each one landing with the confidence of a band that knows exactly who they are. This lively quartet have firmly secured their place as a modern indie-rock staple, and their sharp, charismatic vibe made them the perfect warm-up for The Wombats’ delightful chaos.
The Wombats kicked the night off with the first release from Oh! The Ocean, the wonderfully blunt Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come. Released in October 2024, it’s already a fan favourite, judging by the crowd going absolutely feral the moment that iconic intro hit, and it’s earned its place as their opening anthem. From there, the band jumped back in time with two earlier classics, Cheetah Tongue from Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life and Moving to New York from A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation.
After this, The Wombats wasted no time seamlessly sliding into an old-but-gold anthem, Techno Fan, that instantly transformed the venue into a nostalgic indie disco. From there, the band jumped straight into newer territory with a track from Oh! The Ocean called Kate Moss, before briefly time-travelling back to 2022’s Fix Yourself, Not The World with Ready For The High. By this point in the tour, the song had gained legendary status thanks to individuals dressed as wombats launching themselves onto the stage mid-bridge, trumpets in hand, as if this were the most normal thing in the world.
The setlist then swerved confidently back to the new album with Can’t Say No, one of Oh! The Ocean’s standout tracks — loved for its playful, rebellious energy and “I probably shouldn’t be doing this, but I am anyway” vibe. What followed, however, was a genuine surprise. Just two nights before the Bournemouth show, the band’s keyboard had given up, meaning several songs were temporarily benched. In their place came Patricia The Stripper from the band’s debut album, one of their most underrated tracks and a rare live appearance.
Fortunately, Patricia The Stripper requires nothing more than guitars, drums, and belting vocals, and the crowd lost their collective minds. Word spread quickly, and the song became a mainstay for the rest of the tour, proving that even The Wombats’ lesser-played tracks can still cause absolute chaos when unleashed at the right moment.
The band then returned to Oh! The Ocean with Holy Sugar, freshly released as part of the album’s extended edition, before hopping back to 2015’s Glitterbug for Pink Lemonade. Things escalated rapidly when they reached all the way back to their debut for Kill The Director, a song that continues to send audiences feral no matter how many years pass (or how many drinks have been consumed).
The remainder of the set was a joyful balancing act across the band’s discography. Highlights included My Head Is Not My Friend and Blood On The Hospital Floor from 2025’s Oh! The Ocean, Method To The Madness and If You Ever Leave I’m Coming With You from 2022’s Fix Yourself, Not The World, Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) from 2011’s The Modern Glitch, an acoustic Lethal Combination and an energetic Lemon To A Knife Fight. The main set closed with Turn from Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life, as balloons cascaded from the ceiling in a scene that felt oddly emotional for a room full of people obsessed with a band named after a marsupial.
After a very loud and very insistent encore demand, the band returned with Greek Tragedy before closing the night with Let’s Dance To Joy Division, joined on stage by a group of mischievous, dancing wombats whose one and only aim was to torment and bust a move.
Nearly twenty years on from their debut, The Wombats continue to prove that they don’t need to reinvent themselves to keep their title as one of the best indie-rock bands in the world. They just need great songs, a loyal fanbase, and the occasional wombat costume and, honestly, it’s hard to argue with results like these.
All photos by Billie Wheeler.