The Wombat at Big Reunion Weekend 2

eFestivals got to talk to The Wombats in the band's dressing room after their headline set at The Big Reunion Weekend part 2 talking to the band's drummer Dan Haggis.

Dan last time I saw you play was at the Introducing stage at Glastonbury in 2008, the band has been a bit quiet in the last few months though, what you been up to since?
The rest of that year 2008 & 2009 we decided to slow it down a bit, we've just been writing the second album in the studio, writing demos & all the rest of it. It's been going really well at the minute, we don't really want to do many gigs at the minute, to be honest we did so many gigs with that album we just want to go away for a whilst. It got to the point where how many times can we play the same set, we juggle things around but it's still the same set. We are looking forward to coming back with a whole new album full of songs.

When are you looking to release the album?
Ideally we are looking to record it in March to April & for it to come out in June, whether that will actually happen but that is the current goal.

Do you have any festival highlights in your career?
I think Glastonbury holds a special place for us, as cheesy as it sounds, we have done it the last three years & it was one of the first we did. We did the Queens Head, The Guardian Lounge, we did various small stages.

The Guardian Lounge is really small...
Yeah but we also did that stage last year as well & in fact we did it every year, we did it on the Sunday with hangovers, went in there & everyone is sat on the floor, feeling in a bad state brilliant that. Then obviously in 2008 we did the Other Stage and that was definitely one of the best gigs we ever done. 40,000 people, flags & the sun came out. It was really good.

Do you have any festivals planned for next year?
I don't know whether we will be doing that many because it depends on the album, if the album comes out in June then, you know they book festivals up in December, January, February may be even March, if the albums not out until later & the first single is not out then why will they book us? You know once we even do release the album if it doesn’t even do well then the slot will not be high up.

Does that bother you getting a low festival slot?
No, no not really, I guess the only thing is you don't have much spark for that, obviously we have done the small festival/gigs/tours & that & once you have played to that massive crowd singing every song, to go back to that unknown reaction it will be like whats going on oh no!!! If it all finished, ended you just don't want to think about it.

You are headlining all three weekends of The Big Reunion how is that going?
Yeah, yeah it's really good, they are great, obviously it's different to playing your own gigs with your own crowd but you always end up having some of your own crowd at the front.

Do you find you have to work harder at festivals to get the crowd on side?
It depends sometimes festival people are always in an amazing mood aren't they? But then sometimes the rain can put a downer on it, but most of the time people are in a good mood & going for it. But, with this being indoors it is easier.

Do you think there is a party atmosphere here like 'Let's ave it' attitude?
Yeah I think that is what we feel like; I guess we feel like we are going for it & giving it so we hope the crowd feel that too & we hope we do the same. Doesn't always work out like that though, you can be going for it & people don't know the song & they are chatting to their mates & we are there giving everything here & then the next song people may just go mad for it. Aw that's it, that['s what you want. You know lets all do the same thing. After the gig we all have different opinions that went alright or that didn’t, or that song worked well.

Do you hang around at festivals after you have been on?
Yeah, yeah we always do, there is always bands you wanna see isn't there?? I guess the novelty wears off, I am sure when you first started off in journalism, it's like fucking hell I can go & see whatever I want & you do for a whilst but then you can’t do it all the time. It's like trying to be a tourist when you go to all these different countries & you tire yourself out trying to get up early to do all these things & in actual fact you are there to work.

What's been the best festival performance you have seen?
What of other bands?

Yeah
(Long pause) Bruce Springsteen.

The Glastonbury performance?
Yeah, yeah that was special. I do like some Muse stuff, but I am not a massive fan, but saw them at Fuji Rocks in Japan & they where unbelievable, they were like so, so good. Coldplay where a surprise, I have their last couple of albums. They're one of those bands where you know all the songs.

Where was it you saw them?
In a baseball stadium at Summer Sonic festival again in Japan. If I had to pick one it would have to be one of the more spectacular gigs. Radiohead are always special, we did a few support slots for them. We got a bit geeky having our photos taken next to their gear. Sigur Ros where also on which was amazing. They played in this courtyard & that was probably one of the best gigs I ever seen. I bumped into the lead singer of Sigor Ros in a cafe in London just randomly & Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) was sat in chair like over there also, just talking, I really wanted to go up to him but I didn't want to shatter any illusions I had of him.

So you still get starstruck then?
Yeah, Thom Yorke walked past us with his security team & it was like oh my god!!!! Have you seen that Ricky Gervais look a like walking around??

Yeah he actually lives out that character role...
Yeah he lives it, we asked him how long he had done this for & he actually answered in Ricky Gervais's voice.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Yeah Edwin Van Der Sar.

Matthew Murphy (Lead singer) enters the dressing room, & Dan asks if he has been mistaken for anyone else?

MM: Yeah Droopy the dog & the lead singer from The Cure, Robert Smith.

That's a hair thing though isn't it?
MM: Yeah I think so, my hair at the minute actually reaches down to my lip.

So if you get hungry you can eat your hair...
MM: Not sure I could eat it but I haven’t had it this long for years.

So what you have planned for the rest of the year?
MM: Well next weekend here, then Xmas then start the new album in the New Year.

Exciting times?
MM: Yeah I think they will be when we get our heads around it.

Do you think the second album will be more difficult than the first?
MM: Yeah its about getting it right, our label are really good, they say you have your whole life to write the first album & then just six months for the second where as our label couldn't give a shit they just want it to be right.

So no pressure then?
DH: No, its quite strange that first album was like an amalgamation of songs there was no, like it was, just like it kind of peaked & now you can stop playing gigs as much as you used to do & all off a sudden you have to think.
MM: If we had been signed to EMI or we weren't a priority then they would say we want this album by such & such a time.
DH: Would they? So what would they do?
MM: Oh yeah if we weren't a priority band then the head of the label would want us to record the second album whether we were ready or not.

How did you get the name Wombats?
DH: It was basically any animal that sounded funny, emus, goats, wombats, camels. Imagine being called The Camels?? Yeah camels are great, Llamas are good too!
MM: The camels I can't believe you thought of that. How many humps do you have?? We worked for some National Park in Adelaide where they got a photo of us with Wombats. They are the most scarred like animals ever.

Dan & Matthew thank you for your time.
Thank you.

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