We Are Scientists @ Electric Owl -- 05/02/14

"...hopefully we convinced them to not wait another four years for a show." was the last thing I said in the blog post the last time We Are Scientists came through town. In 2010.
So I guess not, but the New York three-piece -- one of my favourite bands to come out of the indie rock boom of the mid-00's -- hit the Electric Owl in support of their newest album, TV En Français.

First up was Scottish trio Paws, for their first time in Vancouver (but they had heard good things from their European tour mates, a local band you may have heard of named Japandroids)
They started hard and fast, and barely slowed down for their half-hour set, with a noisy sound was definitely giving off vibes of 90s alt-rock and grunge, as they thrashed around stage with reckless abandon.
Songs came in short bursts of energy, ending abruptly more often than not, with almost a sense of urgency. The only one that seemed out of place was a bit of a mellower song, which was very obviously written as "the single" even without them introducing it as such.
They put on a really fun set, and I would definitely catch them again if they come through to tour their brand new album Youth Culture Fever. 

Thanks to the curfew on the show, it was not too long after when REO Speedwagon's "Keep On Loving You" blasted over the speakers as the three members of We Are Scientists took the stage.
They kicked things off with a signature tune "Return the Favor", for a set spanning all four of their albums. Their ridiculously catchy indie-rock had people singing along to old favourites "After Hours" and the explosive "Nobody Moves, Nobody Gets Hurt", as well as songs from the new album like the fast-paced, riff-tastic "Dumb Luck".
The humour of Keith Murray (guitar and "golden pipes") and Chris Cain (backup vocals and "bass guitar instrument") also shone through in their banter, with great back and forths, and off-the-cuff humour. It was pretty clear that after over a dozen years of being a band, they still have fun on stage and with each other. They also paused part way through the set to wish drummer Keith Carneage a happy birthday, complete with a cake being delivered and the crowd singing.
As "Impatience" brought the main set came to a close, they were back out with "Dinosaurs" which erupted into an intense ending of shredding guitars, and they wrapped up with the familiar frantic cymbals opening "The Great Escape", from their breakthrough album With Love and Squalor, for another big singalong to end things perfectly.

Sometimes the Electric Owl can be a little hit or miss with their sound, and while it was not bad last night, I found that a few songs in the set were just a little too loud; sometimes drowning out individual members of the band or just being too harsh. But that aside, We Are Scientists definitely still puts on an incredibly fun show; they are a tight band with genuinely funny banter, and songs that will be stuck in your head for the next week.
I can't wait for them to be back in 2018.

setlist
Return the Favor; After Hours; Dumb Luck; Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt; Nice Guys; Sprinkles; Lousy Reputation; Lethal Enforcer; Textbook; Take An Arrow; Chick Lit; Rules Don't Stop; I Don't Bite; Make It Easy; Impatience.
(encore) Dinosaurs; Slow Down; The Great Escape.

We Are Scientists @ Biltmore -- 07/27/10

Four years. That is how long it has been since We Are Scientists played Vancouver. The Biltmore wasn't even doing shows then! The band, fresh off their wildly successful debut album was in town three times that year, but had not been back since... until last night, for a show at the Biltmore.

First up, though, was Vancouver band Supercassette -- which is a great name. They hit the stage six large, starting out with an instrumental song, very indie-dance-pop with twinges of electronica. They had a fantastic energy, and were pretty damn good, though at times the lead singer was a bit to... over the top in his yelling. Not bad, per se, and not constantly, but questionable at times. But the thing that impressed me most of their set was the dummer. He was fucking intense. Playing on somewhat of a minimalistic kit, he not only broke drum sticks, but managed to break a cymbal in their seond song, playing the rest of the set with it severely cracked. I think I would be interested in checking them out again, especially if part of a good bill.

Up next was Rewards, one of those one-guy-with-a-band-name deals. Aaron Pfenning came out alone with his guitar (and giant pedal boards) but was backed with some audio trickery, in the form of recorded backing instruments. He seemed a bit shy when talking, but when he was playing, he sauntered and strut around the stage, posing for pictures, sitting on the monitors and generally owning the stage. He also employed a few vocal effects, giving some of the songs a bit of an ethereal quality. Or an autotuned quality. Or a Bowie-esque quality. For the last song, the three members of We Are Scientists came out to join him, and the song they played sounded really familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on if it was a cover, if I had heard it before, or if I was just imagining things.
I wish I had been able to pick up an album or something, and I really hope he wasn't serious when he said he may not be back due to the pain in the ass border crossing, because I would be very interested in seeing him live again.

Finally, it was time for We Are Scientists. Back in 06, they were one of my favourite live bands, but four years is a long time, so I wasn't sure if maybe something had changed (well, they had, as all shows I had seen was with the original drummer) and while I was certainly excited, I was also a little wary going in. But it tuns out, I was worrying for nothing; they were as energetic as ever, and still damn funny with the random stage banter. Did you know they couldn't have a fog machine since Vancouver banned them in 1892, due to the werewolf problem? True story. Their banter never seemed forced or rehearsed either, like some bands tend to be, but rather just a couple friends trying to make each other laugh. But their comedic values are just one of the reason they are great live. Brimming with vigor, they started the set ith the new single "Nice Guys" and played for a little over an hour of material spanning all three albums. And the crowd was just going nuts the whole time. People hardly stopped dancing, and most of the songs were sung along to, but "The Great Escape" was definitely the most insane as everyone joined in.
After ending the set with "After Hours", they came back for one more song, "Cash Cow", and promised they would be back soon. A couple of times, especially near the end, they seemed visibly appreciative (and perhaps a little taken aback) by the crowd, so hopefully we convinced them to not wait another four years for a show.