16 January 2008 (gig)
23 January 2008
It’s a cold and windy night in London town and the thought of trekking to North London makes me shiver and retreat for my fan heater. Nevertheless, We Are The Physics, an all male four-piece from Glasgow, brave the elements and are here to play the Barfly. A reasonably sized crowd turns up and waits eagerly for the 4 boys to come on stage. They have been around for a while in new indie band terms, and have been rocking it hardcore in jolly old Scotland, but have ventured South to share their experimental and down-right strange music with London. First impressions usually are ridiculously important and it’s not good. They look like any other type-cast indie band with the floppy fringes, black-rimmed glasses with skinny ties and jeans, you’d be forgiven for just writing them off. But wait, they’re actually good. No, really good that it’s totally shocking. Their fast-paced thrashing guitars teamed with poppy overtones and hectic crazed singing is intoxicating. They look like they are all having epileptic fits as they rigidly dance on the minute stage. Their rapport is electrifyingly scary but ultimately amusing. The thrashy, moshy music goes down well with the crowd and everyone starts to bop along.
'This is the first gig we’ve done since November 2007 and we’re really unfit. And rusty!' Says the lead Michael M in his thick Glaswegian accent.
They get through their set at lightning speed and do all they can to entertain the crowd by manically clapping whilst performing, bounding around the stage and making peculiar noises like 'aii aii aii’ and so on. Musically they are very similar to the Editors, Joy Division and The Futureheads, if all those bands had been taking super speed.
When performing their last song, there is only one guy in the crowd who is moshing, so the lead leaps off stage and starts to mosh with him which was brilliantly funny.
This band is what 2008 needs. A great big kick up the arse. 2007 was dull and We Are The Physics have set the pace for the year. I just hope other bands take need, because they’re gonna need to.
