In Conversation With - Love Fame Tragedy
Love Fame Tragedy is the solo project from The Wombats’ frontman, Matthew ‘Murph’ Murphy. He has been touring the UK recently and his second EP, ‘Five Songs To Briefly Fill The Void’ is out now and features collaborations with Crystal Fighters’ Eleanor Fletcher & Maddi-Jean Waterhouse.
We spoke to Murph as he was preparing for his show in Birmingham and he told us about the inspirations behind his songs, how his live shows are going and more.
Hi. How are you?
Love Fame Tragedy: Good, thanks. I’m just walking through Birmingham and it’s really, really cold.
What inspired your solo project?
I had a few songs left over from the last Wombats album and then it kind of snowballed into something very different, and a lot of songs came to me. That year I decided to try and do it as a proper band, I guess.
What is ‘Please Don’t Murder Me (Part 2)’ about?
‘Please Don’t Murder Me’ is kind of like a musical look at mine and my wife’s relationship at times. And it’s called ‘Part 2’ because there’s a song by The Grateful Dead called ‘Please Don’t Murder Me’ so I wanted to pay tribute to them as well.
How is the tour going so far?
It’s really good, thank you. The shows have been amazing. There’s only 3 left. Manchester was incredible. The reaction’s been better than, I think, any of us could have hoped for. It’s been quite exciting times.
What are your live shows like?
Pretty loud and raucous. Fun. I don’t know. I get on stage and sing the songs, I guess. There’s 3 guys in my band. There’s such a good atmosphere and chemistry.
What’s your favourite song from your new EP, ‘Five Songs To Briefly Fill The Void’?
Probably ‘Riding A Wave’ because I don’t know if I’ve ever written lyrics that are that close to the bone. I really like that one.
Is ‘Riding A Wave’ also your favourite to perform live?
No, maybe ‘My Cheating Heart’ off the first EP is my favourite to do live.
What’s your favourite thing about performing live?
I guess seeing a reaction from the crowd. I get quite nervous at shows, to be honest, but when you see [the crowd] loving it, it makes it all worth it.
Is there going to be an album?
Yes. So the second EP drops on March 20th. The album’s being recorded and, I think, comes out at the end of the summer.
What’s next for Love Fame Tragedy?
Well, Birmingham, London, Bristol. Then I go home to see my wife and daughter. I try not to look too far in the distance. I’m just concentrating on the shows.
Feature by Narzra Ahmed