I arrived at Love Fame Tragedy’s gig expecting to be underwhelmed. Having been a hardcore Wombats fan throughout my teenage years, Murph embarking on a solo project seemed unnecessary to me, especially when many of his songs are reminiscent of Wombats b-sides. The energy that characterises The Wombats on stage was something I just didn’t believe Murph could carry on his own – Tord’s bounds across the stage brings a liveliness to their shows that connects the band to the moshing audience, and this absence felt significant here. 

It was the accompaniment of his facial expressions and body language that communicated his love for performing this kind of music

I was pleasantly surprised. The energy of The Wombats was still present, but was accompanied by an emotional effectiveness that engaged the crowd. Love Fame Tragedy’s songs were more heart-rending live, as he reached towards the lights and occasionally held the hands of the front row, his troubled vocals communicating a pain behind his lyrics that is less discernible in the recorded version. It was the accompaniment of his facial expressions and body language that communicated his love for performing this kind of music. 

However, this does not mean his decision to go solo suddenly made sense to me. There was greater crowd engagement at this show than a Wombats gig – but this wasn’t always positive, as shouts of ‘I love the Wombats!’ and ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division!’ left an awkwardness in the air that prompted Murph to hurry to begin his next song. The feeling that he is starting his career again from scratch was strong, especially seeing as these songs could have easily been written and performed by The Wombats, in a bigger venue, with a more positively engaged crowd. Furthermore, the bond between band members on stage that Wombats fans love was absent at this gig, along with the liveliness that characterises The Wombats. 

Despite this, Murph has proven that he is a worthy musician in his own right, his lyrics and musical choices reflecting that of The Wombats but certainly not lacking. The unreleased song ‘5150’ – the title based on the code used in the US when someone escapes a mental asylum – had poignant lyrics, and visibly moved the crowd through its emotional composition. Murph inserted witty quips into his set flawlessly, introducing the song ‘Pills’ with the terse one-liner ‘this song’s about absolutely boshing tonnes of pills all the time.’ His set closed with his most popular song ‘My Cheating Heart,’ and here the crowd almost resembled that of a Wombats gig – energised, lively, and somewhat riotous. While I would still rather hear new music from the Wombats than from Love Fame Tragedy, I am less sceptical about Murph’s solo project, and look forward to the new album.

Tickets for the remainder of Love Fame Tragedy’s current tour are available here

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