05.23.08
It’s not for the cock, it’s for the scientists
We Are THE PHYSICS @ The Bodega Social, 19/5/2008
Kicking off the frolicking tonight is local Nottingham outfit, Swound. The band, to their own admission, don’t fit into any particular scene of modern music, yet their odd blend of American college rock and erratic party anthems goes down pretty well. For a few songs they almost sound like Weezer being pushed away from pop sheen by System of a Down but unfortunately it all becomes a bit too repetitive. The band are tight and put on a good live show, yet they seem a bit too keen on massaging their egos and flexing their over eager musical muscles. They clearly have plenty of fans/mates though, and provide a good warm up (as well as quite probably the majority of the audience) for the main act.
We are THE PHYSICS make their way through the crowd (not hard, most are at the bar or at home) and onto the stage. Like a greyhound out of the traps or Hannibal Lector out of a straight jacket, they dive head first into the set, ripping into their fast, awkward, so-spiky-it-hurts punk anti anthems.
Despite a gig dwindling in numbers slightly, singer Michael launches into proceedings instantly. Jerking, swaying and headbanging his way through thunderous bass riffs and yelping, paranoid vocals- he’s a commanding frontman.
The band whip out awesomely titled (and even awesomer sounding) latest single, “You Can Do Athletics, BTW” early on in the set which proves to be a good thing. The song features a crazed up-and-down guitar riff and rattling drums before they make way to a incessant, irregular guitar and bass combo that, when live and pumped up loud as can go, feels like you’re face is being pummelled to a pulp in the gutter. Basically amazing, then.
“In The Graveyard” is brilliant, showing a WATP trademark of high pitched lead guitar, unhinged pedalling bass and yelping, maniac vocal before everything kicks in together for a shit storming chorus.
We Are THE PHYSICS have a very well oiled and entertaining live routine. In the numerous stop/starts of their songs, they pause and pull shapes or point at each other. At one stage tonight, Michael shouts for the band to stop, then shifts his big glasses (that make his eyes, and face, look like a cartoon bug) back up his nose which they had slid down. The band also like to stop mid way through playing a song and hold their positions stock still while a bass drum beat is stomped out. This all makes for a great live show, however, it’s slightly questionable weather it is fully compatible with such a stagnant audience.
The band explain that as they don’t get to play in England often, they make a special effort when they do, so they’ve learnt the English national anthem especially for us. They then crack out a raucous, swaying, disjointed, slightly out of tune version of the Eastenders theme tune with wry little smiles on the Scottish faces. Then as a set closer they play by far their best song, “Less Then Three”. The song is a twisted hurricane of a tune, “I Fought the Law” drums cranked up to break a pendulum to pieces and guitars that attack from all angles.