Matthew Murphy
| Matthew Murphy | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Matthew Edward Murphy |
| Also known as | Murph |
| Born |
23 July 1984 Liverpool, England |
| Genres | Indie rock,[1] rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | 14th Floor Records |
| Associated acts | The Wombats |
| Notable instruments | |
| Fender Telecaster, Taylor 314ce, Casiotone MT-45, Casio SA-75, microKORG and microKORG XL (on stage) | |
Matthew "Murph" Edward Murphy[2] (born 23 July 1984) is an English musician, best known as lead vocalist & guitarist of The Wombats.
Early life
He was raised in Woolton, Liverpool, and educated at the public school Liverpool College, and the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, where he met fellow band members Tord Øverland Knudsen and Daniel Haggis.
Murphy suffered from depression and anxiety since he was a teenager and was prescribed citalopram after having severe panic attacks at university.[3][4] His issues with anti depressants are detailed in the song "Anti-D".
The Wombats
Murphy is part of Liverpool indie rock/pop trio The Wombats alongside Dan Haggis (drums) and Tord Øverland Knudsen (bass guitar); "at first The Wombats were a joke they didn't want anyone to find funny". Murphy once said that: "In the middle of the songs we'd break into uncontrollable sobbing. The idea was not to be funny."[5] The band was initially launched when The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts gave them the chance to play various gigs. They then ended up gaining radioplay in the UK with songs such as "Let's Dance to Joy Division" and "Moving to New York". Their first album, The Wombats Proudly Present: A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation, was released on 5 November 2007 with success following with a European tour and finally an Arbor Day Party at Liverpool Academy. The album achieved Platinum status in the UK. The band's second album, entitled The Wombats Proudly Present: This Modern Glitch, was released on 25 April 2011 and was a chart success, reaching number 3 in the UK, and number 2 in Australia.[6] The band released their third album, Glitterbug, on 13 April 2015.
Publicity and television appearances
Murphy appeared on an episode of the Australian music quiz show Spicks and Specks, hosted by Adam Hills. Murphy was a contestant in the episode and Knudsen and Haggis appeared on the show, performing the Postman Pat theme song, in Norwegian.[7] Other notable performances were at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, where the band performed a cover of Leona Lewis's song Bleeding Love[8] and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno where they played Jump into the Fog. The Wombats appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers to perform Greek Tragedy from Glitterbug on 28 April 2015.[9]
References
- ↑ "The WOMBATS | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's". Myspace.com. 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
- ↑ "American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers: Matthew Edward Murphy". ASCAP. 20 May 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
- ↑ "Wombats against depression". The Guardian. 12 April 2011.
- ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/wombats-frontman-matthew-murphy-on-depression-growing-up-and-the-bands-new-album-glitterbug-10166649.html
- ↑ The Wombats : History, Biography and Contact Details etc
- ↑ http://acharts.us/album/62849
- ↑ http://www.abc.net.au/tv/spicksandspecks/txt/s2195676.htm
- ↑ http://www.gigwise.com/news/47159/the-wombats-set-to-mock-leona-lewis-at-mtv-emas
- ↑ http://www.nbc.com/late-night-with-seth-meyers/video/the-wombats-performance-greek-tragedy/2862080