Here’s a lesson courtesy of We Are Scientists: when it comes to first-person punk pop, don’t confuse the narrator with the band. The trio’s show at Middle East Downstairs proved case in point. The kid in most of the Scientists’ ripped up rock songs has no time for convention, equal parts snarl and young invincibility. He spits at the rules, staggers around back alleys, and brags about blacking out (again). The Scientists themselves, though, seemed quite the foil for their leading man on July 13, deadpanning jokes and chatting casually between songs. They gushed about Boston, wondering aloud about real estate options in the area. Given their flair for hit-and-run tempo swerves, the band impressed most when they pummeled through tracks in rapid succession, earning the sweat that drenched their summer whites. One early pause to clarify the set list, however, turned out to be a worthy cause.
We Are Scientists offered a refreshing sample of songs, dabbling in different speeds and pulling favorites from all three of their major label albums. They opened with “Nice Guys,” a snide sing-a-long from their latest album Barbara. Though the mic stand collapsed, frontman Keith Murray maneuvered it seamlessly into a rock-n-roll jaunt around stage, dragging the pole in one hand and tearing at his guitar with the other. The crowd jumped and belted from the very beginning, clearly seasoned fans of We Are Scientists. Most could mouth along with the anthemic choruses from the band’s 2006 debut With Love and Squalor. “The Great Escape,” for example, worked everybody into a rebellious fervor as prickly drums and jerky vocals slid head first into a smarmy, wailing chorus. The fans in the back rocked their heads. The kids up front climbed on each other to see. The staff behind the bar danced freely, hair swinging, enjoying the most elbowroom in the venue and the biggest perk of their job. Murray found some space for himself, though, hopping off stage near the end of the set to join the crowd he’d been thanking all night.
The Scientists’ set almost ran later than the trains that evening, so they capped the show with an encore of “Cash Cow” and reluctantly dismissed the audience. Their tour takes them to the UK through the fall, but if your lease is up around then, maybe We Are Scientists will stick around for the long haul.