The Wombles (band)
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Founder | Mike Batt |
| Defunct | 1976 |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
Key people | Mike Batt (songwriter and producer) |
| Products | Singles, albums |
The Wombles were a British novelty pop ensemble comprising musicians dressed as characters from the children's television series The Wombles, which was adapted from Elisabeth Beresford's books. The group's songwriter and producer, Mike Batt, composed and performed numerous commercially successful singles and albums under the name 'The Wombles', including the show's theme song. According to British Hit Singles & Albums, they were described as the "furriest (and possibly the tidiest) act... natives of Wimbledon Common, London". In 2011, the group made an appearance at The Glastonbury Festival.
History
Filmfair secured the television rights for The Wombles and commissioned Mike Batt to create the theme tune. Instead of accepting a fixed payment for a single track, Batt negotiated rights to produce additional songs under 'The Wombles' name.
The band issued multiple albums and singles; all four studio albums attained gold certification, and four singles reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. In 1974, The Wombles emerged as the UK's top-selling music act, spending more weeks on the charts than any other artist that year.
A song called "Wombling U.S.A." was recorded in 1975 with the intent to break into the American market but was only released in 2000 on the cassette edition of I Wish It Could Be a Wombling Merry Christmas Every Day. Nevertheless, "Wombling Summer Party," another track targeting the US audience, entered the USA Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 55 in August 1974.
Live performances
In January 1974, Mike Batt appeared on Cilla Black's BBC show portraying Orinoco, alongside guest Bernard Cribbins, to promote "The Wombling Song". Following the single's chart success, the "band" was invited to perform on Top of the Pops, which led to the swift production of additional Womble costumes representing key characters.
Experienced musicians donned full costumes to represent The Wombles. Batt consistently took on Orinoco's role, with drummer Clem Cattini performing as Bungo and guitarist Chris Spedding as Wellington; both had previously collaborated with him in recordings. On one episode of Top of the Pops, members of Steeleye Span wore the costumes.
Tim and Andy Renton, who had worked with Batt during his later involvement with Hapshash and the Coloured Coat, also wore Womble outfits, along with Robin Le Mesurier, who was subsequently dismissed from the group following a cannabis possession incident.
The band performed as the interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 held at the Brighton Dome, an event where ABBA achieved international breakthrough.
The Wombles' split and Wellington's solo career
The group disbanded in 1976. After that summer’s intense drought, a single titled "Rainmaker" was released under Wellington Womble’s name alone rather than that of the entire band.
Legacy
Although initially cautious about how The Wombles would be remembered, Batt later expressed pride in their musical output. In 2008, he admitted that while it was difficult to gain serious recognition due to The Wombles’ image, he also acknowledged their importance in launching his chart career. During a 2021 interview, Batt reflected on using The Wombles as a creative outlet to explore diverse musical styles and arrangements, appreciating the artistic freedom despite its uncool reputation.
In 2022, Batt revealed that he destroyed all multitrack recordings from The Wombles sessions to prevent any future remixes or remastered releases after his death.
Glastonbury Festival
In June 2011, The Wombles appeared at the Avalon stage during the Glastonbury Festival, with guest guitarist Chris Spedding joining them for their closing number. Festival founder Michael Eavis later described the decision to book The Wombles as "somewhat of an error". Batt jokingly mentioned that Uncle Bulgaria took offense at Eavis' comment and consequently retracted his offer to assist with post-event cleanup.
Personnel
The Wombles
- Orinoco (Mike Batt) – vocals, piano
- Wellington (Chris Spedding) – lead guitar
- Tomsk (Les Hurdle) – bass guitar
- Bungo (Clem Cattini) – drums and percussion
- Tobermory (Simon Chandler-Honnor) – piano and keyboards
- Madame Cholet (Rex Morris) – saxophone
- Great Uncle Bulgaria (Paul Peabody) – violin
Additional personnel
- Amy Adkins – percussion, violin, backing vocals
- Eric Bulger – keyboards, saxophone, backing vocals
- Richard Kingston – keyboards, percussion, backing vocals
- Simon DeMarco – local postman, Band PA operator
- Morgan Kent – drums [Top of The Pops 1974]
Discography
Parodies
BBC Four’s Don't Watch That, Watch This presented dubbed footage of The Wombles taken from TOTP2, comically depicting them performing "Anarchy in the U.K." in 1988. The caption humorously suggested they had entered a funk soul fusion phase and released a single that peaked at number 57 on the charts.
The satirical film The Rutles featured a character modeled after Ringo Starr named Barrington Womble, who later abbreviated his name to Barry Wom.
Yorkshire-based comedic folk group The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican created a parody of Remember You're A Womble, targeting various public figures and politicians. Their song The Cockwombling Song was included on their eighth album. Lead vocalist Scott Doonican commended Mike Batt as an exceptionally talented songwriter whose work went beyond novelty tunes, emphasizing that The Wombles’ chart successes secured Batt’s place among England’s foremost songwriters.
External links
- Chris Spedding – Wombles index
- as the TV show
- as the band