If you think nerd rock only applies to bands like Weezer, you may want to redirect your attention to New York-based band We Are Scientists.
The name alone conjures images of your eighth grade bio teachers strapping on guitars and jamming in laboratories. But to be honest, WAS are a little bit cooler, even if bassist Chris Cain, dressed in a crisp white oxford shirt tucked into khaki pants, actually does look like a science teacher.
After making a name for themselves in the alt-rock world with the aptly titled debut, “Safety, Fun and Learning (In That Order),” the band took to the Black Cat on Jan. 21 for their Big Fucking Deal Tour to play old favorites and entertain the crowd with their witty banter.
Their opening act was the six-piece indie band Uninhabitable Mansions. All members of the band front other groups as well, such as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and techno band Au Revoir Simone. They opened with the melodic tune “The Speed Is Deceiving.” Lead singer Robbie Guertin’s voice was on the girlie side, cooing and hitting high notes that float over the techno and guitar strums. At times, he and backing vocalist and keyboardist Annie Hart often sang different lyrics, clashing over the song.
Hart’s voice was low, matching Guertin’s soprano voice. On the scenic “The Brain Is a Slow Wave,” the keyboard blared, and there was more jamming than singing, with guitarist Chris Diken on his knees throughout, focusing only on his guitar. Guertin shook his head while Hart twirled around in her floaty blue dress behind the keyboard. After a few more songs that could have been on “The O.C.” soundtrack, the band closed with the folksy “We Already Know.” After finishing their set, Guertin took the mic and said, “If you can’t remember our name, just remember that we’re eight syllables of fun!”
As WAS took the stage, the Black Cat grew packed with hipsters and loud drunk guys. Guitarist and lead singer Keith Murray sported a tight jean jacket over dark pants and Chris Cain took a sip out of a cup of beer while carefully holding on to his glasses. With that, they launched into the alt-rock number “The Scene Is Dead,” with Murray singing, “The night is young/I’m blacking out/But it’s been fun.”
In between songs, Cain and Murray made jokes to keep the crowd rolling, talking about essential rock show staples such as Scooby Doo and Iron Man. But when it came to the music, they were seriously rocking out with Murray jumping all over the place, sometimes dragging the mic stand along with him. The crowd swayed and sang along to pop-influenced songs like “Chick Lit” and the riff-heavy “Let’s See It.”
“Now this is a song that we literally made up from scratch,” Cain said seriously, leading the band into the song, “Impatience.” Murray’s voice wavered and lifted throughout the song, with Cain singing backing vocals and plucking his bass as fast as he could.
Next came the infectious song that WAS deemed a “classic,” “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt.” The lyrics in this song are about as sexy as WAS will ever get, with Murray singing, “My body is your body/I won’t tell anybody/If you wanna use my body/Go for it, yeah.” Temporary drummer Danny Allen (filling in for Andy Burrows), who could win a John Bonham look-alike contest any day, was pounding away at his kit, defining the sound of the song.
“Wow, you can’t control rock ‘n’ roll,” Cain said after the song.
“As your financial partner, I think you need to copyright that shit. Because I want a cut of that,” Murray said to Cain.
After a few more danceable tracks like “Nice Guys,” “The Great Escape” and the raucous, bass-driven “Dinosaur,” WAS prepared to depart from the stage, finally playing the song “After Hours,” with Murray singing over and over “Say that you’ll stay!” Of course, this message beckoned the audience to ask for an encore, which they received.
“We literally never do encores, but the Black Cat is such a great place to see We Are Scientists, and you guys are such a great audience,” Murray told the crowd cheerfully.
With that, the guys played their final song, “Cash Cow,” a perfect alt-rock ending to the amazing and hilarious show.
You can reach this staff writer at ydesta@theeagleonline.com.
