Announced only a week before actually happening and tickets available just two days later, news that indie pop-rock heroes The Wombats were playing a secret show quickly got social media all abuzz. Along with a gig in Sydney the following night, both venues were kept under wraps until the evening before the shows when the location information was unveiled to ticket holders.

Tickets were at a premium and Gumtree had several listings of fans desperately trying to get hold of tickets to this unique opportunity to see one of Brit-Rock’s slickest live bands. People were offering big bucks despite the fact that all the tickets were actually free. They went “on sale” free of charge last Thursday and were limited to just two per person and according to presenting partner all tickets to the show at Shebeen sold out in one solitary second. Probably take that claim with a grain of salt, but there’s no doubt they sure went quick. Check Twitter to see tales of dejected fans who missed out.

Manchester Lane’s Shebeen in Melbourne’s CBD only holds perhaps 200 people, so when this secret show was billed as intimate, they meant it. Look at it this way, when The Wombats come for a headline show, they usually play at Festival Hall in West Melbourne, a historic venue with a capacity for five and half thousand patrons. It’s unlikely that any of those lucky enough to be in attendance will ever have the chance to see a band this big, this far into their career play a gig this small and up close again.

The Wombats are renowned for releasing polished “synthy” pop rock and they pull it off impressively live at big venues and at some of our biggest festivals such as Falls Festival and Groovin’ The Moo, which was why it was so impressive to see them adjust to Shebeen’s tiny band room with seemingly no effort at all.

The room was filled with a strange collection of equally excited fans all jostling for position and sharing guesses of when they’d come onstage and what their set might entail. Lubricated thanks to the free mixers on offer, no one minded waiting a little longer than we’d been told for the band to emerge onstage. When they did the relatively small audience went up with a loud roar for the three Liverpool lads; who looked as unassuming as the usually small bands that usually grace the stage there.

The band lapped up the crowd noise and channeled it straight into a ripping rendition of ‘Your Body Is A Weapon’ which promptly whipped the crowd into a frenzy, one in which they were not let out of for the next hour or so. Guitarist, vocalist and frontman Matthew Murphy was on fine form, not just in a musical sense as the whole band was, but he was laughing, smiling and making dry jokes between nearly every song. It created a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, however as soon as a song started everyone jumped up and down and sang along at the very top of their lungs. So much so that even during two new songs off the album that haven’t been released some people tried to lip-sync rather ambitiously.

The previously unheard ‘Give Me A Try’ won people over nearly before it’d started as its punchy chorus is so catchy it’s was hard not to get into. Another song off the new album, ‘English Summer’ had never ever been played live before until tonight.

Although the new songs including the brilliant new single ‘Greek Tragedy’ and recently released ‘Emoticons’ went down a treat, undoubtedly it was the cuts from their already released albums that were the crowd favourites. ‘Kill The Director’ was a particular highlight with the crowd relishing the chorus “chant-along” of ‘This is no Bridget Jones’. ‘1996’ was another big number as was fellow second album track ‘Tokyo’. It was sublimely impressive how these big arena sounding songs managed to still sound sonically large in such a small space.

The hit that started it all ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ was saved for the very end and brought about an unprecedented level of pandemonium. Despite the cold summer night outside the band room would’ve been around 30 degrees so people bouncing around singing along to the fact that “everything is going wrong, but we’re so happy” were literally dripping wet and sporting other people’s sweat by the end of the uber-catchy number.

‘Techno Fan’ was the only seriously obvious omission of the evening but given the other songs chosen, and how expertly and enthusiastically they were played it’s hard to split hairs over it. Tonight was a night that any fan lucky enough to be in attendance is ever likely to forget due to just how unique the opportunity was; and boy did the band deliver.

Check out the full gallery from the show here.

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