For the first stop on the brand new World Tour, we're going to New York - home of We Are Scientists.The first part of this post is my review on their show from last night at Cambridge Junction.
This was the second time I've been able to see the band, the first time being at Reading Festival 2008, at which point I had never even heard of them.
This time round I'm a big fan of the band, and was really excited to hear great songs like 'After Hours', 'Inaction' and 'Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt' aswell as tracks from the brand new album 'Barbara'.
After a set from a pretty horrible 'The Whigs', We Are Scientists hit the stage pretty much on time, which is always nice. They opened with their new single 'Nice Guys', and the atmosphere in the room was really buzzing. They introduced themselves and had a little joke, then went into 'This Scene is Dead' from the brilliant 'With Love and Squalor' and then straight into 'Inaction' of the same album.
They played through a 17 song set with a healthy mix of tracks from all three of their albums, with the new songs getting just as good a reaction as the old.
Keith and Chris are great entertainers, and there was plenty of banter and interaction with the crowd - which I'm a huge fan of.
All of the songs sounded great, especially songs that I wasn't really familiar with, like 'Chick Lit' and 'Dinosaurs' from the album 'Brain Thrust Mastery'.
They closed their set on 'After Hours' which was brilliant, and then after a short break returned to the stage to play 'Cash Cow'.
We Are Scientists are a great live band, offering a unique show in their engagement with the crowd and their obvious genuine enjoyment from performing.
I can't wait to see them at Reading Festival again this summer, as I think that they are suited to big open spaces more than intimate venues.
★★★★★
Next up is my full review for the new album 'Barbara'.Barbara is the third major-label studio album from our New York friends, and it's a great little effort.
Little has to be the key word there though, at 10 tracks long with a running length of just over 30 minutes it's incredibly short. But what's there is mostly great - quick, catchy and energetic tunes that makes it an exciting listen from start to finish.
Barbara opens with first single 'Rules Don't Stop', which has the funkiest bassline ever, and also one of the best guitar riffs I've heard from the band. At just over two minutes it's a beautifully sweet opening track and is a great start to the album.
The album then goes right into 'I Don't Bite', which is really just more of the same - a catchy riff and a repetetive chorus. The key is that it manages to stick with the listener, and doesn't just blend with all of the other tracks on the record.
The energy and catchiness keeps up throughout the album, not really letting out - with the exception of 'Pittsburgh' which I really dislike. It's pushing the limits of being repetetive, and I just don't like the overall sound of the track.
Closing track 'Central AC' is probably my favourite on the album, and goes out the same way it began -
Overall, the album is a great success, but there are moments where songs can feel lazy or rushed. It lacks really memorable songs like many from 'With Love and Squalor', but after seeing them live I have found a few favourites in there.
It's a solid effort, and I'd give it a good 4/5.
Thats all from my We Are Scientists Special, but stay tuned for more New York madness later this week.
Dan
