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…!

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!

1,240 VICTORIOUS FESTIVAL 2022 (Saturday Only), Southsea Common and Seafront, Portsmouth, Saturday 27th August 2022

 

A month off gigs, then back in with a bang with a full-on Festival Day out by the sea! After the quagmire and Covid-hit debacle that was last year’s Wickham Festival, I was reluctant at best to revisit that one, and my enthusiasm for a boys Summer Fest day out there this year completely vanished when The Levellers were announced as headliners! Thankfully, this one reared its head as a potential alternative; Portsmouth’s Victorious Festival, now in its 10^th year, and well established as an August Bank Holiday alternative to the utterly dreadful line-ups that my 90’s hangout Reading Festival now churns out. I’d looked at this one before, finding previous line-ups a little too mainstream for my self-confessed obscure tastes, but a whole clutch of boy’s fave bands showed up together on the Saturday itinerary this year, led by Inhaler, one of my favourite discoveries of recent times and a band I had to miss last year due to Covid isolation (Rach took Logan and said they were amazing – bugger!). So we’re doing this one instead!

 Unfortunately, my dodgy knee well and truly let me down on a family holiday in Paris the previous week, and even on the day before the Fest (which was our travel day home) I could barely put any weight through it without experiencing shooting pain through the joint. Nonetheless, fully (heavily) strapped up and painkillered-up, Logan and I set off down a sun-drenched M4/ A34 route at 9.30, going cross country to avoid the really busy New Forest holiday traffic but still only pitching up on the outskirts of Pompey at 11.45 after a wrong turn or two. We then took ¾ hour to agonisingly pick our way through the city to our pre-booked car park, just behind the main Common Stage at the far west of this large, nearly Reading Festival-sized site. Got in and tramped around to get some water – the website said the bars would have free drinking water; they lie!!! – but we eventually got sorted. THE K’S were already onstage in front of a rapidly-filling audience, bashing out some purposeful sounding Jam-ish rawk, which culminated in a young fan being sent off crowd-surfing! An ersatz Sugababes line-up were up next as early afternoon “headliners”, but we had other plans!

 We took a slow amble to the back of the main arena and along Market Way, where the usual fest clothing stalls were located. I got used to how my knee was behaving, and Logan checked out and tried on a multitude of sunglasses (!), and we eventually pitched up at the smaller open-air Castle Stage (next to Southsea Castle, where I’d taken Evan for a day out, waay back in 2007!) midway through SWIM DEEP’s lunchtime set. I was sorry I’d missed the early knockings, as what I heard I thoroughly enjoyed; some building guitar/keyboard led dreampop atmospherics and slow burn widescreen drama, overlaid by some high-pitched vocals, initially recalling early Mew or the short-lived Temper Trap. Good stuff, culminating in “King City”, a bright, bouncy and singalong closer which got the crowd clapping along. Nice!

 

We grabbed a barrier slot, house right, and waited out the changeover; all stage changeovers were ½ hour, which seemed a long time, but that said, it likely enabled the running order to be kept on time, which it remained throughout – to the minute! Victorious: The Punctual Festival! So, COACH PARTY took the stage bang on 1.55, opener “What Do I Care” launching off like a pocket rocket, the mix initially dominated, almost suffocated, by the heavy guitar sound, remaining so for the undulating, almost doo-wop “3 Kisses”, but thankfully clearing up for a flippant “Everybody Hates Me”, some grungy Pixies-ish ascending riffery nonetheless the feature of the best sounding number so far. The band themselves, however, were on good form, fully road tested after a number of Festival gigs (including a support slot for French band Indochrine at the 96,000 capacity Parc Des Princes!), and vocalist Jess was in relaxed mood; “we’ve been here a couple of hours and no-one’s asked me for pills yet! I’ve [normally] got a pilly face...!”

 A headlong, punkish “Shit TV” preceded a debate about how many of the audience had seen The Sugababes’ mainstage set, which culminated in a “fuck the Sugababes!” chant! The hurtling “Breakdown” then featured a mid-song dead stop before some cacophonous riffery and primal screaming from guitarist Steph, and “FLAG”’s strident, fist-pumping choral drama then ceded to the already indiepop classic finale, the brilliant “Can’t Talk, Won’t”, rounding off a non-stop, breathless and action – packed half hour from these increasingly promising IOW newcomers.

 Took a slow amble back after catching our breath, running into Stayawakes bassist Pete, there with friends and his baby daughter! A quick chat before wandering back into the main arena where the blue overall-clad DODIE was just rounding off her mainstream pop set with a number about a train driver, to Hockey International-level screams from her young female massive. Thankfully they cleared out and we were again able to get some barrier, house right, for a proper Common Stage double whammy!

 

“Hello to all and sundry!” announced a familiar grey-mopped figure promptly at 3.30; “we’re a band called WE ARE SCIENTISTS and we think we’re the best band called We Are Scientists!” Keith Murray (for t’was he) then proceeded to underline that “best band” claim, leading the trio through a superb set of itchy, angular post-punk and bright, singalong powerpop. The Wannadies-esque racey, pacey opener “You’ve Lost Your Shit” led into the dramatic chugging backbeat of “Buckle”, and an entertaining between-band debate about work, Keith coming to the realisation, “shit, I AM at work! And so are you [Chris]!” The pounding, circular riff and soaring, Silver Sun helium chorus of “Contact High” was a breathless, brilliant set highlight, but in all honesty every one was a winner. I’d done my homework after their fine December 2021 Trinity set (gig 1,203) so was able this time to recognise and sing along to every number, from the hooky, angular “It’s A Hit”, through the taut, funky Talking Heads on speed “I Cut My Own Hair” (which featured a mid-song pregnant pause, Keith asking the crowd to keep to the clapping tempo for 7 minutes!), via the thrusting, pinprick rhythm of oldie “Nobody Move” to the final anthemic number “After Hours”, which concluded an expertly and energetically delivered Festival set, ultimately my favourite of the day.

 

We were all in for the next lot as well though, so stayed on our barrier spot as a WAS roadie tracked down a mixing desk setlist for me (lists being hard to come by, today). Chap! Another half hour wait, but this time along with a larger and more enthusiastic and anticipatory crowd, comprising a lot of conspicuously young ladies. No surprise really, the young gentlemen of INHALER are quite the bunch of lookers, as well as a very promising young guitar band, with vocalist Eli Hewson (son of U2’s Bono, and currently the same age as his old man when he and his schoolboy chums delivered their second and best album, “October”, waaay back in 1981) a tousled rock heart throb in the making. Bugger the looks and lineage though, for me it’s all about the tunes; Inhaler may be silver spoon boys, but that only gets you through the door, and then you need quality songs to stop you getting kicked back out of the room. Opener “It Won’t Always Be like This” immediately showed they have those, with an immediate soaring singalong to the stadium-sized hook, and newie “Move On” was equally pacey, albeit darker and more Cure-like. No one-trick post-punk ponies these, though, as “Why Does It Hurt” was a looser limbed and dancier number, although featuring hints of “Joshua Tree”-era U2 atmosphere and space. “Who’s Your Money On” saw Eli exhort his young followers to jump along in his thick Irish brogue, and the urgent, fire-alarm clatter of “When It Breaks” incited a moshpit behind us to the brief concern of the bouncers.

 Newie “These Are The Days” was a blue collar rocker recalling Springsteen or even The Boomtown Rats (!), and the double salvo of “Cheer Up Baby” and an excellent, albeit slightly thin sounding, “My Honest Face” ended a fine set, one which I’d now like to see indoors at closer quarters. Showing a little inexperience on the big stage (particularly in comparison to their 7 album, 15 year veteran predecessors We Are Scientists), this was nonetheless a fine showing from a band seriously going places, if they can deliver on their promise with the “difficult” second album, due soon…

 

That was our afternoon Common Stage entertainment, and this took us up to 5.10… and teatime! So we took another slow amble along Market Way and grabbed some dirty burgers and fries from the eaterie with the shortest queue, then bumped into Coach Party’s Steph for a quick chat about that Parc Des Princes gig (!), before plonking down on a boulder for tea. Still a paucity of seats around the site, despite claims to the contrary… anyhoo, back into the nearby Castle stage for SPORTS TEAM, whose upbeat and optimistic bouncy Britpoppy/ indie set was enthusiastic and effervescent, full of spritely spunky youthful spunky spriteliness (as I said to Logan!), and in vocalist Alex Rice, featured an energetic, all-action and kinetic stage presence. Well, not just the stage, as it turned out… “Our Entertainment” was a breathless stomper, “New Day” got the young ST massive jumping about, kicking up a dustbowl moshpit, and a fast, frisky “Going Fishing” slowed for a huge singalong chorus. A few tongue-in-cheek anti-Reading Fest comments were fun, before Alex clambered atop the speaker stack to deliver the vocal to the bolshy “Ashton Kutcher” before going one better, launching into the crowd in front of us and crowdsurfing a considerable distance out during the Doors-like 60’s psych wig-out final number!

 

The ST massive cleared out then as dusk started to fall, the crepuscular light seeming to be the perfect backdrop for WHITE LIES. I was wondering how their more studied and studious pseudo-gothy 80’s oeuvre would follow on from the seat-of-your-pants bounciness of Sports Team, but from the moment they took the stage prompt at 7.10 to a rapturous welcome and launched into the strafing guitar assault of opener “Farewell To The Fairground”, they were “on it”, the mid-song dead stop and hook singalong providing a startling juxtaposition to the wall of guitar sound, but also adding drama and gravitas. A speeded-up “To Lose My Life” followed, slowing for the audience-chanted choral hook, and newie “Am I Really Gonna Die” was a smooth synth-pop delight. The mid-set “Big TV” sheet metal Visage-like synth hook was an unexpected clapalong, the crowd well engaged in this fine performance from the boys, but all things were leading up to the double whammy finish…

 Charles Caves’ epic growling bass line heralded penultimate number “Death”, the tempo slowing considerably twice for the “fear’s got a hold of me” hook, before launching into huge impressive life for the denouement. Then set closer, the stabbing keyboard intro to a soaring, anthemic “Bigger Than Us” rounded off a set not completely bereft of flaws (Harry’s voice in particular sounding a little raspy and road-weary, occasionally straining at the top end), but well chosen and overall rather splendid.

 This took us to 8 – Logan double-queued for churros in the dusty and dusky gloom, and we wandered back into the now-packed main arena where THE WOMBATS were kicking up a rowdy, rabble-rousing but eminently forgettable Arctic Monkeys-lite noise on the Common Stage. After grabbing some water and taking a watching brief, however, my knee cried “enough”, so we forewent the potential hike back and hour’s wait for Castle headliners Bastille, instead sneaking through the Common Backstage to the car park thanks to a kindly steward who took pity on my hobbling. Home at 10.30 after a generally quite successful day; more places to sit would be nice, but maybe I was only more cognisant of this due to my bad knee. More importantly, everyone we wanted to see delivered big time, with We Are Scientists winning Band Of The Day for me, Logan going for White Lies. Overall, a great day out, living up to its name; Victorious!

1,203 WE ARE SCIENTISTS, COACH PARTY, Bristol Trinity, Tuesday 7th December 2021

 

This one feels like a new discovery of a veteran act… I’d been mightily impressed by Isle Of Wight newcomers Coach Party and their spritely, slightly bratty take on indie pop, and was on the lookout for gigs down our way – The Louisiana in January was one (sadly postponed from an earlier tour, in conjunction with equally promising newcomers Francis Of Delirium), but an earlier opportunity presented itself when they were named as tour support for veteran NYC indie rabble We Are Scientists, a tour including a date at evocative old Bristol former church The Trinity. I’d picked up their debut “With Love And Squalor” back in 2006, liking it fine but finding it slightly formulaic of the staccato one-note school of “post-punk” back then (Bloc Party, Futureheads et al), subsequently blanking on future releases. However, a quick YouTube trawl revealed the error of my ways, 2021 album “Huffy” (their 7^th!) in particular leaping out of the blocks with some sparkling hooky powerpop. Hmmm, some lost time to catch up with this band then, methinks…

 Tix were duly booked for myself, and, later, for Logan, who enjoyed “Huffy” too. So we took a drive down a blustery M4, hitting traffic going into Brizzle, but parking up securely in Cabot and hitting the venue in good time for Logan to grab his usual spot – leaning on the stage (no barriers), front and centre! Introduced him to a proper Bristol gig rite of passage – meeting Big Jeff (!) – before Coach Party joined us at 8, bursting out of the blocks with the effervescent yell of “Oh Lola” and the deadpan chugalong riffery of “Everybody Hates Me”, both recalling the flippant 90’s Britpop of early Sleeper… A pretty obvious comparison for this young band, maybe, but, first, if I hear clip-clops, I’m yelling “horse”, and second, that’s no bad thing, as Sleeper in their early pomp were a cracking band… Anyway, back to Coach Party… “no word of a lie, We Are Scientists are the funniest people we’ve ever met!” gushed vocalist Jess effusively before the Pixies-ish growl of their “bad break up song” “Crying Makes Me Tired”, and an abortive attempt to engage the kids down the front in their Tik Tok video! “Breakdown” featured a splendid if truncated mid-song noise-fest, Jess kneeling in a very David Line style, before some punters complimented her on her trousers! Her reply was, “it’s my ass,” then some wag down the front (ok, me…) remarked, “that’s the Isle Of Wight’s ass!”, Jess thankfully getting the Captain America reference! A bright, sparkling set concluded with the double whammy of a punky, in-your-face “Feels Like A Girl” and set highlight, the propulsive undulating riff of “Can’t Talk, Won’t”. Excellent set, and now I’m really looking forward to that January Louisiana date…!

 The place, quiet early doors, filled up properly as Logan asked the friendly roadie (more on him later) how much he earned! In short order, the walk-on music of Aerosmith’s cheesy power ballad “Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” kicked in, the 3-piece We Are Scientists conducting the audience singalong before launching into breathless opener “You’ve Lost Your Shit” (which variously recalls The Wannadies “Hit” and Kim Wilde’s “Kids In America”!), which segued into oldie “Inaction”. The modus operandi for this gig was pretty soon established; dynamic slabs of laconic but upbeat NYC cool indie powerpop with, yes, that post-millennial taut post-punk staccato riffery, but with repetitive hooks aplenty for this engaged crowd to sing along to raucously. As a newbie, I did my best, but this was one for the devoted, some “deep cuts” (vocalist Keith announcing at one point, “know your deep cuts or you’re gonna get cut!”) delighting the faithful. And vocalist/guitarist Keith was a dynamic stage presence; energetic, kinetic, double denimed and constantly on his toes, he and bassist Chris shared a considerable amount of sardonic, savage and self-deprecating between song banter (“I wrote this song (“Kit”) about my cat but he won’t reciprocate [my feelings]”; “your cat just looks at you as a heat source!” being one, and “your tuning up sounds like a ukulele!” another). The brilliant helium chorus of “Contact High” and subsequent backbeat big hook of “It’s A Hit” were early highlights, and I liked the pregnant pause during the itchy, angular and Devo-esque “I Cut My Own Hair”, the crowd nonetheless filling in the hook line. Some problems with pushy fellow punters distracted me mid-set, but the louche, almost funky “Sentimental Education” brought me back into the room, the band then finishing strongly with more fun banter and an almost hauntingly emo-esque “After Hours”, after a slight mid-set sag.

 A four song encore concluded an at-times excellent but always intriguing and entertaining 1 hour 20 minute set, before we obtained the drummer’s list thanks to that friendly roadie, hit the merch stand for some chat with Coach Party drummer Guy and a tee for Logan, then back to the ‘don by 11.30 in drizzle. I’ve clearly got some work to do on We Are Scientists, but they did more than enough tonight to dispel my dismissive first impressions. As for Coach Party, that Louie gig will be a proper firecracker, no doubt…!