1,396 WE ARE SCIENTISTS, Bristol Rough Trade, Tuesday 22nd July 2025

 

Another Rough Trade album release/ meet and greet show, then, this one showcasing the new release (another one! Already!) from prolific, chameleonic and now-veteran NYC indie roustabouts We Are Scientists. Since I reconnected with this quixotic trio in 2021, they’d delivered 3 damn fine “live” performances for me (including Band of the Day honours at the 2022 Victorious Festival (gig. 1,240)) and a couple of quite contrasting albums in the brash, buoyant and bullish powerpop of “Huffy” and the smoother, silkier synth shenanigans of its successor “Lobes”. So, when they announced a small Rough Trade album release tour in support of new, 9^th (!) effort “Qualifying Miles”, I booked for this early evening Bristol date, interested to see what direction their ongoing musical odyssey would take next.

I wasn’t the only one so intrigued either, as this one sold out in short order, prompting the addition of a Matinee show! So, anticipating a very busy (and hot!) one in this small back room, and also desirous of a quick getaway afterwards to catch as much as possible of England’s clashing Women’s Euros semi-final (c’mon you Lionesses!), I set off later than usual with the intention of hanging back for WAS’ set. Parked up and got in just about 10 past 7, taking a space ¾ back, house left, in the already very full venue. This is going to bake…

We Are Scientists wasted no time either, joining us dead on 7.30, with snowy-capped vocalist Keith Murray already announcing, “wow, you guys have made it very hot in here!” before bassist Chris Cain deadpanned, “we’ve been planning this event for years, we just needed the album… it needed a lot of admin!” They then opened up with a couple off said new album, and it immediately became apparent that, with the off-kilter echoey discordancy of opener “Please Don’t Say It” and the brooding, descending slo-grunge and terrace chant choral hook of the subsequent “Big One”, that “Qualifying Miles” had advanced the 80’s synth sound of its’ predecessor “Lobes” by a full decade, with some distinctly 90’s US alt-rock guitar licks. Intriguing… 

The choppy guitar angst of oldie “Buckle” preceded another newie in the plaintive alt-country of “At The Mill In My Dreams” – track 11 on the album according to Keith, which prompted a discussion as to whether anyone even makes it that far on a record! “Put it on shuffle!” was the helpful suggestion from one punter down the front, prompting a dismissive cry from the vocalist. The herky jerky math rock of first album standout “The Great Escape” followed, the boys suggesting this was a Timothee Chalamet cover (!), before another slo-grunger in the Promise Ring-esque “I Could Do Much Worse” continued to underline the sonic template of this new release.

“Do another one!” screamed another front-row punter, the quickfire Keith responding with “Shit! We were going to do that; now it looks as if we’re following your lead!” “A Lesson I Never Learned” was a rather moving newie, its’ pathos at odds with the ebullient between-song banter from the boys, then the staccato one-note riffery of oldie “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” raised the temperature even further with a front row mosh (even standing ¾ back and swaying along gently, I was working up a considerable sweat and had long abandoned my ill-thought out extra shirt). But the set highlight for me was the sparkling and absorbing VU/ Stereolab-ish layered drone-rock and anthemic hook of “What You Want Is Gone”, a very likely contender for inclusion on my “Best of 2025” compo CD. The boys then thanked Bristol (“our favourite UK city!”) before the whip-smart intricate hook of a hard-rocking “After Hours” rounded off another excellent We Are Scientists performance – a bloody hot one as well!

I stuck to my pre-gig plans, with a quick exit from the venue affording me a spot near the front of the queue for the album signing and meet and greet. Happily, the boys were out quickly too, so I grabbed a pic and a few words with an affable trio, before heading off for an air-conditioned drive home, grabbing a late kebab tea and catching the last half hour plus extra time of the Lionesses’ dramatic semi-final win. So, an excellent result in more ways than one, and on the evidence of tonight, the new 90’s alt-indie vibes of “Qualifying Miles” might just prove a genius move from We Are Scientists, and be one of their best albums to date…!