We Are Scientists - Brixton Academy, London - Thursday 9th November 2006

Brixton Academy, for the excellent We Are Scientists. Last time I saw them was in Philadelphia in June, in a much smaller venue, where few people had heard of the band. Some contrast then, with the first of 2 sold-out nights at Brixton, ending a mammoth UK tour. Brixton Academy was the emptiest I have ever seen it for a "sold out" show - it was busy, but there was plenty of space to move around at the back - actually a much better experience than normal.

The main support act were Hot Club De Paris - I had heard great things about this band, and they certainly seemed to have a hardcore of fans towards the front, who gave them a great reception. A three piece from Liverpool, they sounded to me like a watered-down version of the Futureheads - with both vocals and music not as strong as them. Part of that could have been the sound, especially playing in such a big venue - but I thought that their sound was quite lightweight. Some of the songs were Ok enough, but they didn't really capture my imagination.

For We Are Scientists' walk-on song, the sound of Against All Odds by Phil Collins started to wail out from the speakers. A classic tune, and as the band walked on in the dark, the crowd was going mad. After the first chorus of the song, a big drum beat comes in, and the band started actually playing the song from this point. The guitars sounded grinding, the vocals sarcastic, and everybody was loving it - you can tell a good song if it is possible to cover it well in a different style, and they pulled it off amazingly well.

After that early highlight, the rest of the set didn't disappoint at all - the band went through their debut album, and played a good number of new songs as well, which sounded mostly excellent, especially given that it was the first listen to them. I did notice that many of their songs are played slower live, which was slightly annoying, as I think their songs sound better when they are played nice and fast. But no matter, they sounded excellent, and their banter between songs makes them one of the funniest bands around as well.

Saving This Scene Is Dead until near the end, the place erupted when they started playing it - with good reason, a rocking version of an excellent song. The Great Escape was their last, before another cover for the encore, which the NME Review of the gig seemed to particularly love. What a good band We Are Scientist are, good tunes, and they really rock - a good recipe for a great night out.