Elevated to the fully blown live show with lights and everything, WAS progression from geek chic guitar pop to sell out stars has been as breathless as any one of their songs. Steaming through a roll call of ‘Love and Squalor’ they’re all about electric energy and random banter. The jerking, angular ‘Nobody Move, Nobody Get hurt’, ‘the breathlessly convulsive ‘Inaction’ and the edgy, agitated ‘Callback’ see spiky pop nugget after punk funk gem as vocalist Keith and moustachioed bassist Chris continue to put on a show. From awkwardly entwining themselves with guitar cables to pitting ‘their’ sides of the crowd against each other a la SeaWorld, their quirky, playful persona’s are goofishly endearing. Unofficial single of last year ‘The Great Escape’ remains their finest moment, ’Nobody move, Nobody get Hurt’ ironically elicits the opposite as surfers and jumpers alike collide whilst ’It’s a Hit’ takes on a literal meaning as iForward Russia! and friends stage one of the few boxing matches outside of Don Kings control.
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After the immediate success of ‘With Love and Squalor’ heightening anticipation, it’s hard to see where WAS will make the transition from the accessibility of their debut. The airing of new material lacks the jerking power pop quality and inevitably raises questions over the second album’s viability. It seems We Are Scientists ‘frat boy rock’ has reached the point of graduation and hopefully the self deprecation will remain intact. Still if all else fails The O.C will probably be forthcoming.
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