Liverpool-formed band The Wombats put the Scouse mark on indie rock when they shot to fame in 2007 with infectious tracks like ‘Kill the Director’ and ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’. After lying relatively low for the past few years, they’ve been touring and writing and are now ready to release their third album this spring; the much awaited follow up to 2011’s ‘This Modern Glitch’, which featured hits such as ‘Jump Into the Fog’.

Ahead of a European/UK tour, the band is set to play a warm-up show at the city’s Magnet later this month so we spoke to Dan Haggis, Matthew ‘Murph’ Murphy and Tord Øverland-Knudsen about world domination, social media, and rusty saws.

You released your second album back in 2011. What have you been doing in between albums two and three?
We toured pretty intensely all over the world for 18 months then started writing the third album. We wrote about 20-25 songs and finished the writing just before summer last year but the producer, Mark Crew, who we wanted to work with was busy with other projects so we had to wait to fit into his schedule.

How will this album differ from the first two?
It’s hard to say exactly but we always try to make music that feels new to us and this album certainly feels like a step up for us as a band.

Do you still perform with a wombat on stage?
We haven’t done a show with the big inflatable wombat for some time now but he’s still alive, just kicking back grazing and occasionally sending us world domination plans from our lock up.

You’ve boosted your social media presence recently. What has the reaction from followers been like about your new tour and album?
Yeah obviously people spend more and more time online and for all artists it’s a great way to connect to people at the click of a button. The reaction from fans all over the globe has been amazing.

Having been away for a couple of years it’s been good for us to see people getting so excited online, especially when we’re at the end of a 14-hour day in the studio and we’re feeling tired. We can get a boost from the fans on our Instagram and Twitter feeds.

You’re doing a huge European and UK tour throughout March and April. How do you prepare yourselves for spending so long on the road?
We’re looking forward to getting back on the road. We’ll probably have a week of rehearsals, go for a run, eat some bananas and bench our own weight to get in shape but to be honest we mainly rely on the adrenalin from the shows to carry us through!

In August you were selected for the BPI’s (British Phonographic Industry) music export scheme – the government funded initiative which helps bands promote their music internationally. How has this helped The Wombats?
Our manager applied for it without expecting much and we got some funding which was a surprise! It just reduced some of the deficit from our last US tour which will help us tour there in the future.

You sold out your forthcoming April date in Liverpool after three days. How does this make you feel?
It feels great. Our Liverpool shows are always special for us so knowing it’s sold out already and that the fans are eager for some live banter just adds to the excitement!

Why did you choose to do this month’s warm-up tour in smaller venues, such as Magnet in Liverpool?
We haven’t played many of our new songs live so we just wanted to test out a few new ones. Playing smaller venues, especially places like the Magnet where we played several times back before we were signed, is always fun.

It will be eight years since your debut album came out. Will you still be playing your old favourites alongside your new tracks? Do you still enjoy playing your older songs?
Yeah we’ll definitely be playing songs from our first and second albums. There’s nothing worse than going to see a band you love and not hearing some of the songs you know, apart from maybe having all your limbs chopped off with a rusty saw.

What is the thing you miss the most about Liverpool when you’re not here?
The weather! Family and friends mainly but there is a general vibe about the place that is always nice to come back to.

The Wombats will perform at Liverpool’s Magnet on 16 January before they head off on their UK and European tour, featuring a sold out show at Liverpool’s O2 Academy on 18 April.

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