The Wombats gave an energetic and impassioned performance at The Waiting Room on Oct. 9. These Liverpudlian rockers put on an engaging show. At various times the members would ask the audience to sing or clap along to their songs.

There was a sense of fun throughout the show. At one point, Matthew Murphy – lead singer and guitarist of The Wombats – said that even though it was early in the week, he wanted to play the show like it was 4 a.m. on a weekend night.

Generally, the punk-rock trio appeared just as any other rock band: they jumped around the stage, played up-tempo songs, and engaged with the crowd. However, there were a select few gestures of pure melodrama offered by Murphy throughout the concert.

This gave the performance necessary theatrics to make the show interesting, especially when Murphy bowed down to his Korg keyboard as he bathed in the smoky blue light that shined during a musical interlude.

This sense of melodrama fit perfectly with the type of music that the band played because much of the band’s lyrics were full of angst. One of their songs was about the freedom of being a teenager in the 90s.

The Wombats created an incredibly full sound given their small group: a guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer. Although, with the help of drum sampling and a synthesizer, they were able to offer a much bigger and more nuanced sound.

One of the most captivating aspects of The Wombats’ sound was their harmonizing vocals. Throughout the show, the band members sang falsetto harmonies which gave their songs greater rhythm and texture.

While most of The Wombats’ songs were pretty much the same tempo, the bass varied enough to make each song interesting. Often the bass would play something much more melodic than one would expect. At times some of the guitar licks were even reminiscent of songs by The Strokes.

Even though there was an opportunity to vary the tempo throughout the night, The Wombats did an excellent job of conveying their identity as a band; this made for a fun and entertaining concert.