We Are Scientists
Rock City, Nottingham (04.11.06)

We got to the venue in good time, so early infact that the doors weren't even open and we grabbed an early pint before we queued. Having seen We Are Scientists once before, as a support act for the Editors, I was excited to see how they'd perform as the main act, and in light of the new album about to be released, what new material they had to offer.

An hour and a half before the main act, the first support band, The Bird of Music, were a three-some of keyboard wielding ladies, who looked like something straight out of the 60's hippy culture. Using solely their keyboards and effects units to produce their music, the whole set-up sounded very MIDI and if I'm being honest, repetitive. Although it reminded me of lift music, with some variation and perhaps some different instruments including a live drummer who could vary the rhythm better than their drum machine, these girls could perhaps see a better light.

The second support act were a duet, along the lines of the White Stripes. Yielding from Seattle, USA, the Mates Of State's performance was generally good, and their nicely complimenting vocals fitted their popular, laid back rock genre well. As with their prior support, some variation of the instruments wouldn't have gone a miss, and although enjoyable I felt that they were missing something, perhaps a bassist to boost the lower end of their EQ, and free up the keyboard for more melodic parts.

Finally albeit relatively early compared to other gigs at Rock City, We Are Scientists hit the stage to a roar of support from the crowd. Their entrance was somewhat strange, entering on to Phil Collins' - Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now), and then taking over for the second verse, before they moved smoothly into their first song Cash Cow, which in all honesty sent the crowd nuts! I could tell immediately this was going to be an awesome gig, just by the way the American trio were entertaining the crowd between songs, or by the flawless transitions between tracks. I've often thought that the sign of good musicians/bands is when they can improvise on stage, and offer some other way of playing their music without having a stop/start between each song, and this is exactly what WAS's offered.

With a great mix of their album With Love and Squalor, and some great sounding new material the gig seemed over far too soon, but they definitely went out with a bang, their last song being The Great Escape, which pretty much everyone was singing and jumping to. These guys certainly knew how to get the crowd going, and although Rock City didn't seem quite full to capacity, the whole building was buzzing! The encore was to prove the biggest surprise though, and the trio came back on for a sing-a-long of Boyz II Men's End of the Road, and having not heard a lot out of him vocally for most of the gig, Michael Tapper, the group's drummer sang most of the song, and had a surprisingly good voice! They even brought their support acts back on stage for a big ending!

All in all, this was a fantastic gig, and a group not to be missed if you have the opportunity to see them. Their on-stage comedy discussions, mixed with their fast paced music is sure to make any venue they play at a buzz. Definitely worth the money and 5 star recommendation!


+ Review by Rich G

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