1,265 WE ARE SCIENTISTS, Bleach Lab, Bristol Thekla, Sunday 26th February 2023

 

Two in two in Bristol, and back to the “Dirty Boat” for a band who’ve made an unexpected return to my listening habits, and who are subsequently becoming quite the “Dance Card” fixture. It was thanks to the excellent Coach Party that I’d “rediscovered” We Are Scientists in 2021, not only thoroughly enjoying their buoyant and flippant powerpop album “Huffy” and subsequent Dec ‘21 Trinity gig headlining over IOW’s finest (gig 1,203) but then also catching them at Victorious Festival last Summer (gig 1,240), where they’d scooped my Band Of The Day honours. I’d since done my due diligence and hoovered up all their missing albums, making up for the lost time between initially coming across them on their taut and cerebral post-punk 2005 debut “With Love And Squalor” but then allowing them to slide out of my view. So, I was of course up for any new material and “live” shenanigans, snapping up new album “Lobes” and tix for this one toot sweet. “Lobes” (their 8^th album!) keeps up the clever songcraft and acerbic lyricism of “Huffy”, aligning it this time to a distinctly 80’s hooky synthpop feel somewhat akin to Heaven 17 for me. That’s great, I’ll take that!

 Another sell-out, this one, so I headed off about ¼ to 6 to secure a parking spot in the Thekla car park. No need tonight, however, as spaces were abundant and the queue was short even at 7 p.m. doors. Grabbed a stage front spot, house right, and leant back, resting the knee which was a bit sore after last night’s Inhaler gig. Openers Bleach Lab eased in at 8 with “Safe Place”, a slice of jangly and upbeat yet oddly dated 80’s sounding indie, recalling Bristol’s own Katydids (they who?). Unfortunately, that for me was about their best number, as despite striking vocalist Jenna Kyle’s impressive larynx, resembling the deep sonorous tones of The Mysterines’ splendid Lia Metcalfe, their subsequent material was all very pleasant, mellifluous and melodic, yet gossamer and innocuous to these ears. In the fairly crowded marketplace that is female fronted indiepop (an area in which they’ll undoubtedly be shoehorned into, however sexist that unfortunately may be), I didn’t hear anything else to stand them out from the crowd. And yes, I rather hope they prove my sweepingly generalist ass wrong one day, but for me today wasn’t that day…

 Kept my front row spot as the place filled up, and I was ready to dance as the boys took the stage at 9 to white noise and pink spotlights. Opener “Lucky Just To Be Here” was surprisingly haunting and almost sweepingly epic, followed in short order by the rockier, hookier “Five Leaves” and a tremendous, soaring and fist-pumping “Contact High”. “We’re 100% killing it!” announced all-action, grey-quiffed vocalist/ guitarist Keith Murray, and no-one was debating that point…!

 

This was another exemplary showing from We Are Scientists, their set once again picking from the entire range of their canon, from the itchy, insistent herky-jerky new wave-isms of an early “Nobody Move” and the relentless backbeat of “Buckle”, through the punkish powerpop blast of “You’ve Lost Your Shit” to the 80’s pop sheen of newer numbers such as “Operator Error” and Settled Accounts” (Keith actually introducing the first of these “Lobes” numbers with a tongue-in-cheek comment of, “we have a new backdrop so have to make a new album to account for it!”), all overlaid with the We Are Scientists knack for infectiously hooky tunes and intelligent, sardonic lyricism. And once again the between-song banter was as entertaining a feature as the music, Keith and bassist Chris Cain bouncing and riffing off each other with the quickfire wit of a top-class stand-up double-act. Debates about stage apparel (the plaid-clad Chris firing off to the smart white-shirted Keith, “I’ve come dressed for camping, you’re dressed for a wedding!”) driving Ferraris into ravines and burying groundhogs in the process (!), and a “Field Of Songs” debate leading to multiple Kevin Costner impressions (!!) were as memorable as the musical highlights, such as the aforementioned “Contact High”, the clapping pregnant pause during a potent, driving “I Cut My Own Hair” and the rather epic set closer “After Hours”. The set absolutely whipped by.

 “Cruises usually suck – this has been great!” announced Chris before the bouncy finale “Less From You” capped an 4 song encore and an impressive 1 hour 40 minute total (!) performance. Had a misunderstanding with a fellow front row punter about the set-list; totally my fault, but we both ended up with one, so all’s well that ends well, right? A quick drive home, buzzing about the lads’ performance, saw me nearly sideswipe a sprinting fox at the end of our road (!) but hitting home for 11.30. Still making up for lost time with this lot, then, but I’m happy We Are Scientists are now firmly established as regulars on my gig schedule!