Gaymers Grassroots gigs have given fans the chance to see their favourite bands perform back in the humble surroundings of the pub, club or venue that used to be part of their regular gig circuit.

Following performances by The Futureheads, Young Knives and Mystery Jets, Liverpool band the Wombats returned to their hometown roots and performed an exclusive set to a small crowd at local rock venue, The Zanzibar. The club is a hotbed for up and coming Liverpool bands and this is where the Wombats cut their teeth before exploding into our ears and minds over the past 18 months. With it’s dark basement feel and low ceilings, it’s absolutely perfect for the 150 or so competition winners and guests to enjoy this very personal performance. Lead singer Mathew 'Meerff’ Murphy has played the Zanzibar since he was 15 in various bands and the Wombats launched their incredible story from the very same stage 3 years ago.

With conditions outside approaching monsoon status any dampened spirits quickly evaporated as the band walked through the crowd to the stage and launched into Dr Suzanne Mattox PHD from their acclaimed debut album 'A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation’. 'Lost in the Post’ followed as they picked off tracks from the album with the high energy levels that we have all come to expect. New song 'How to Pack Your Bags and Leave’ was well received along with old favourite 'The Ostrich Song’. 'Moving to New York’ got even the most reserved of people jumping like idiots, while 'Here Comes The Anxiety’ and 'Little Miss Pipedream’ got hands waving in the air and vocal cords loosened. They wound up the set with 'Let’s Dance to Joy Division’ which got the crowd singing and jumping about like crazy. Of course there was an encore with 'The Metro Song’ and 'Backfire at the Disco’ making sure everyone left the venue very happy indeed.

The Wombats are one of the most hard working bands in the business so it’s a pleasure to see them so happy to be playing with an energy that filters through to the small crowd. Special mention goes to bass player Tord who gives it everything and can’t shake off his permanent grin, while delivering some quality bass riffs. This rescheduled gig fell between appearances at Glastonbury and T in the Park and it’s a testament to these guys that they still put everything they had into their performance.

A recording of the show will be aired on Channel 4 show will be broadcast at 01:20 on Wednesday 16th July

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