[Interview] The Wombats : new album, Parisian concert and crazy clips

We had the chance to meet in February The Wombats to talk about their new album in particular. Here is the interview! 

The Wombats are a British band from Liverpool consisting of Matthew Murphy (vocals, guitar), Dan Haggis (drums) and Tord Øverland Knudsen (bass). They recently released a new opus that is already their fourth: Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life. During their whirlwind visit to Paris during the month of February, we had the chance to meet them, we tell you everything! 

• You just returned from a tour through the United States, how was it?

– Matthew Murphy : That was great! It was the first time in a way that we promoted the album before its official release, so this US tour was a new experience. It was really good.  
– Dan Haggis: In your country too!
Matthew Murphy: Yes. 

• It's true that it's rather atypical to tour before the release of the album, and also for a British band to start with the United States rather than the United Kingdom. Was it your choice?

– Dan Haggis: Yes, the new label and our manager gave us the opportunity to do this tour in January and we thought it was a very good idea to do it.Then on this tour we already had three singles released, and that's why we said yes because we wanted to play new songs in front of an audience that didn't know them. So it was really good for us to see the reaction of people, it gave us more confidence for the release of the album. People were already singing the songs in chorus, it was super cool. 

• Now the next tour is the European. Besides, I was a little surprised at first to see that there was no date planned in Paris until the announcement of the Pias Nites on March 8th. 

– Dan Haggis: It's still an idea of the label. We only had three weeks in the schedule for the European tour and for some reason neither France, nor Italy nor Spain had any concerts planned. Europe is so vast that it is difficult. But we'll come back later for a real European tour. And the Pias Nites was an opportunity to come and play in Paris and just before the UK tour started. We love Paris, it's the first country we played in outside the UK in 2005 I think, before the US It was the first country we played in outside the UK?
– Matthew Murphy: Yes… uh no Norway!
– Dan Haggis: Yes, maybe Norway then because it is the land of Tord. So Paris was the date right after and we played at the Flèche D'or, it was a great night. 
Matthew Murphy: or maybe the little bar Le Sully, it was closed for a while, but we played there for an acoustic concert and we danced on the bar. That was awesome. 

• The last time you came was in November 2015 at the Trabendo, and I remember the atmosphere was great and the audience was really communicating with you. Think you have a special relationship with your audience? 

– Dan Haggis as Yes it is true that we are lucky with our fans who always have an overflowing energy, everyone dances.

• Besides, you will find yourself with many fans during your date at Alexandra Palace in London. Is it a magical and mythical room, impatient and a little anxious? 

– Matthew Murphy: Yes, we've played it once before, it's a great venue. You can see pictures of Mike Jagger and all kinds of classic bands that played in this room. So yes, we're very excited to have the chance to play there.

• You can play your new album Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life. How did you come up with the name, you have a record with beautiful people?

(laughs)

– Matthew Murphy: Yes, it is something related to the relationships that anyone could have passionately with someone else such as with a woman, a friend, a dog, a table, a phone. It's something that has to do with the relationships we've had in the past. 

• And how did you go about creating this album because you're all in different countries?

– Matthew Murphy: We ended up in Los Angeles where I live, then in Oslo because Tord had a baby to stay with his family.
– Dan Haggis as We shared the time such as breakfast with the family, dinner with the family and hop back to the studio. We made 4 trips for this album. 
– Matthew Murphy:  But we haven't lived in the same city for 9 years, so we're used to it. 

• Did you have specific inspirations for this opus?

– Matthew Murphy: I think we definitely wanted to do something less organic but more airy musically. 
– Dan Haggis as We wanted to make different sounds, several riffs, more guitars, do more things in an album than we have been able to do in the past. Take another step and take another direction as a group. 

• It's true that listening to your album, I could feel that you had evolved, but especially your album gives a smile to listening, it makes joyful. Is this something you were looking for?

– Dan Haggis as It's a nice reaction to make people happy, it's like when you play at a concert, the crowd always has a smile on their face and it's funny because a lot of the lyrics are sad or deep. But I think we didn't want to make an album to give a specific reaction, we were hoping for feelings, feelings. But most of the songs are a kind of therapy to help through life stages like breakups, when I don't have the energy to get out of bed and it makes me want to do it anyway. And that's the best compliment they can give us: pay to make music and make us happy. 
– Matthew Murphy: I think most musicians are looking for a connection to make someone happy, emotional or any other emotion. As long as they have an answer, the job is done.
– Dan Haggis as Even hating our titles (laughs). 

• By the way, you made me laugh during the promotion of your album, I loved it when you made guess the tracklist from emojis. Do you have a passion for emojis?

– Matthew Murphy: I don't know if we can say that we are really behind this whole idea of emoji, it's more the person who manages our social networks. But the one for Turn was horrible. 
– Dan Haggis as  What was it already?
– Matthew Murphy: A road sign with an arrow that indicates to turn. (laughs). 

Which song are you looking forward to hearing most? 🍋 🔪 #BeautifulPeopleWillRuinYourLife pic.twitter.com/1Yat5v1T1X

— The WOMBATS (@thewombats) November 23, 2017

• It is true that I have never been able to guess what it was for some of your titles. (laughs).

– Dan Haggis as The ones for Cheetah Tongue are great though. 
– Matthew Murphy: The one for Lemon to a Knife Fight is really good too. 

• By the way, speaking of favorites, which song is your favorite on your new album?

– Dan Haggis as The last song, I Don't Know Why I Like You But I Do, I feel like it's something we've never done before. But Cheetah Tongue is also one of my favorites. 
– Matthew Murphy: I don't have a favorite, I can't choose. 

• Do you have a track that you're more looking forward to playing live than another? 

– Dan Haggis as We've already played 4 new songs live, and it was just fabulous to see people's reaction. Then sometimes we think that we will play a song that will have a great reaction live and finally the crowd does not react very well and the title will disappear from the setlist. So we'll see… It's going to be interesting. Suspense…

• Besides, you have already unveiled 4 singles that are also the first 4 tracks of your tracklist, coincidence? 

– Matthew Murphy: Oh really? 
– Dan Haggis as It was really not intentional, chance is not at all intentional.

• You've unveiled music videos for Cheetah Tongue and Lemon to a Knife Fight. The videos have completely crazy scenarios like the one from Greek Tragedy on your previous album. But where do all these ideas come from?

– Dan Haggis: Greek Tragedy is really one of our favorite videos to make and the director was a young Irishman called Finn Keenan. For the new album, we wanted to collaborate with new people but we said "let's collaborate with this guy again, he's great". He has the craziest ideas, we told him hey it's the song come back with some ideas.
– Matthew Murphy: Completely twisted ideas! 
– Dan Haggis as Very original! 

• Cheetah Tongue really made me laugh a lot because it was so unexpected to see grandmothers carrying their spouse. 

(laughs)

– Matthew Murphy: Yes, it's too weird. 
– Dan Haggis as Yes, then when we listen to the title we do not expect that, but at the end of the base it was us that we had to wear but with their husband it made more sense. 

• On the other hand I must admit that for the clip of Lemon To A Knife Fight, I really expected a battle with a lemon wondering what it could give. 

(laughs)

– Dan Haggis as Yes, we could have slapped ourselves to death with a lemon, it could have been funny.

• By the way, where did the idea for the title Lemon to a Knife Fight come from? 

– Matthew Murphy: It's just kind of a metaphor for a situation where you lose an argument. If we had done a song "I lost my argument", it wouldn't have been as interesting. 

• And why did you choose this album cover with a snake? 

– Matthew Murphy Who was it?
– Dan Haggis as A Frenchman, Lucas Donaud, – Matthew Murphy: He listened to the album, then he was obsessed with this idea of a snake,
a circular element. 
– Dan Haggis as I also really like the artwork for our singles Turn, Cheetah Tongue, Lemon to a Knife Fight. But Cheetah Tongue's is my favorite for artwork.
– Matthew Murphy: I have a preference for Turn 's with the old Cadillac. 

8 DAYS TO GO… we want to know which artwork has been your favourite so far! 🍋 🐆 👅 🔪 🔁 #BPWRYL pic.twitter.com/CwerrKEo7C

— The WOMBATS (@thewombats) February 1, 2018

• We can hope to see your name on the line-up of a French festival this summer? 

– Dan Haggis as We hope!
– Matthew Murphy: We have nothing planned yet, but we will make sure that happens.  
– Dan Haggis as If you can say a word for us (laughs).  

• Finally, you advise which artists to listen to at the moment, what is in your playlist at the moment? 

– Dan Haggis: Well, Iver, he's not really an emerging artist but I love listening to him.

• Speaking of emerging artists, your first parts are really interesting you had originally planned Blaenavon for your US tour, and The Night Café for the one across the UK. Did you choose your own first games? 

– Dan Haggis as No it's not us, we could but we don't have many friends (laughs). The Night Café played for us two years ago and they are really nice guys from Liverpool young and full of energy. Slotface will also open for us, but I don't know who they are. 

• It's a cool band from Norway. 

– Matthew Murphy: Cool, let's listen to them…
– Dan Haggis: It's a shame because often we go on tour, we want to see the first part but the schedule does not match and we never have too much chance to see them… 

We warmly thank Matthew Murphy and Dan Haggis, members of The Wombats, for granting us this interview. While waiting for their concert on March 8th at La Maroquinerie, we listen to their new album Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life !