“‘Techno Fan’”.
CORRECT.
“He’d had heart surgery and that post was his first calling to the world that he’d gotten better and over it, and it culminated in us supporting The Rolling Stones at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey that year, which is one of the biggest shows we’ve ever done. Mick invited us backstage to hang out with him, and Keith Richards stroked my daughter’s hair, like he was blessing her! It was a very cool day.”
From the Stones to The Beatles, Paul McCartney claimed in 2008 that he wanted to produce The Wombats. Did you ever chase it up?
“There was an email that was sent going, ‘OK, let’s put this into practice and figure it out’, but he’s a very busy guy. He was toying with the idea of doing some production, but at some point, thought otherwise. He’s giving us an award soon from our old university [the McCartney-founded Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts], and he’s always been very supportive of us.”
Who’s been the most unexpected fan of The Wombats?
“The oddest one is Addison Rae. It was completely her doing that ‘Greek Tragedy’ kicked off again. She posted a TikTok dance of her miming to its opening verse and chorus. I’d never heard of her – nor had I heard the remix that she’d used, so that was the weirdest celebrity moment considering I didn’t even realise she was a celebrity, nor what TikTok was capable of.”
Were you tempted to ask Mick Jagger to don a furry Wombats mascot costume during your set?
“No, I don’t think Mick Jagger would get into one of those – you can’t see anything and they’re hazardous! I’ve had friends who’ve fallen off the stage in them. For the next album, I had the idea of building something huge like a Giganticbat. Maybe we can get Mick Jagger in there operating it!”
— Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) May 15, 2019
