The Wombats Recall ‘Pretty Freaky’ Incident in Rio de Janeiro

Touring can bring its fair share of unexpected adventures, but for British rockers The Wombats, a night out in Rio de Janeiro took an unnerving turn when an argument with the wrong person led to a high-stakes chase back to their hotel.

Frontman Matthew “Murph” Murphy explained the incident to The Daily Star’s Wired column, revealing that drama unfolded during a night out when tensions escalated between someone in the band’s group and a local they had unknowingly crossed paths with.

“We got chased in Rio by a gang. We were out, someone said the wrong thing, we were doing the wrong thing,” Murphy told the newspaper as per Music-News. “Somebody – I won’t say who got into an argument with this other guy, and didn’t realise who he was, or what he was in.”

The moment of confrontation quickly turned into something more sinister. As the band piled into a taxi, they realized they were being followed. “Our taxi was chased back to the hotel by these two Land Rovers,” Murphy revealed. “I ran up to my hotel room, and our tour manager had to diffuse the situation.”

He added, “Apparently, it was pretty freaky.”

While the Rio incident might have been their most alarming encounter, it wasn’t the only dramatic moment the band faced while touring in Brazil. Just days earlier, The Wombats had to cut their set short in São Paulo after a cyclone wreaked havoc mid-performance.

“When we played in São Paulo, a freak cyclone hit the stage in the middle of our third track and completely soaked us,” Murphy told NME in Oct. “Wrote off all the gear. Some steel split, and the stage we were on had folded down.”

Despite the mayhem, the festival carried on, with The Strokes headlining later that night under far-from-ideal conditions.

Murphy explained, “We were on the other stage, but it was facing the main stage where The Strokes were headlining. They went on that night, but all the drapes had come off, there was no screen, they were just playing against scaffolding. It was pretty ridiculous.”

The Wombats will soon kick off their upcoming arena run across the U.K. in March 2025. The band will take the stage in cities including London, Nottingham, Cardiff, and Manchester, with additional festival appearances lined up later in the year, following the release of their sixth studio album, Oh! The Ocean.