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Gig Review

We Are Scientists hit the stage at the Hard Rock Café for this month’s Q The Music Club like hyperactive children deprived of their Ritalin – singer Keith Murray twisting and jerking across the stage while bassist Chris Cain pulled out all the shapes from the Big Book Of Rock Moves.

Eschewing the low-key acoustic style chosen by last month’s residents, The Fratellis, We Are Scientists opted for a high energy set that drew liberally from their latest record Brain Thrust Mastery but leaned heavily on their debut With Love And Squalor.

The three singles from that debut album – Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt, The Great Escape and It’s A Hit – were unquestionably the standout songs, but album tracks like the taut jerk-rock of Inaction and the sing-along self-pity of Textbook were almost as engaging. In fact, during the latter Murray made his way into the crowd to grab a shot from the bar and sing to select audience members.

Once his thirst for tequila had been sated, Murray returned to the stage to greet the band’s special guests for the evening, a string quartet, who performed the final three songs, culminating with a soaring rendition of The Great Escape.

The band’s energy and attack, coupled with some charming onstage banter (“If he hadn’t started talking this would have been a flawless segue”) made for a fun night that gained more fans for their indie rock experiment.

Mic Wright