Stepping into the warm glow left by fresh-faced sunny pop of the Spinto Band, Brooklyn (by way of Southern California) trio We Are Scientists opened their set with “Lousy Reputation.” Collectively, the band could form a Voltron-style ultimate indie rocker: they sport the best bangs in the industry (Keith Murray), the requisite scruffy-beard (Michael Tapper, drums), and homemade shirt, mustache, and strapped-on racquetball glasses (Chris Cain, bass). I kind of love it when a band starts by playing my favorite track; this one is a particularly good intro with its guitar and drums that build from a quiet rumble to full on explosions over two short minutes. From there, it’s pretty much off-to-the races. I already mentioned that my iPod staged an intervention after weeks of nonstop springtime attention to With Love and Squalor; the live show makes slight, but welcome divergences from the recordings. All of the beloved elements are present, but set free from the studio, the driving melodies, the quarter-century frustrations, the infectious hooks have more room to breathe. This is especially evident for Keith Murray’s vocals, which are less polished in the wild. Remarkably, the rougher quality provides the performance with the necessary texture to sustain the crowd’s attention for a set.

It definitely helps that the guys arrive loosened up from a few drinks at the Bad Juju armed with just the right amount of stage banter. They joke around throughout, poking fun at the their tech’s Predator-like stealth and about Chris’s amazing outfit (”… the suit that launched a thousand hits”). In the middle of the set, they play a loud and messy cover of “Bang Bang Rock and Roll”. When it comes time for their latest single, they preface it with a faux-tortured introduction considering the agony of whether or not to play something simultaneously expected yet world weary from near constant rotation. Once everyone’s laughing, they give us “It’s a Hit”. Along the way, they play a new song¹ and clear up a fake misunderstanding with Eddie Argos. By the time they’ve finished, Chris has wandered into the crowd with his bass guitar, substantially livening up the already enthusiastic audience. Fist pumping grows from just one dude to a small-scale epidemic. When “The Great Escape” closes their set, Ian Catskilkin finds his way onto the stage for a guitar solo as a preview of the coming attraction.

I imagine that some people view Art Brut as striking an ironic pose for an elaborate performance art in-joke. While this probably an easy response to their oversized persona, I think that it’s either a lazy reading or an unfortunate side effect of life among post-modernity resulting in a chronic inability to distinguish sincerity from sarcasm.² I’ve seen them a couple of times and experiencing their live show is more than enough evidence to convince the skeptics that there is plenty of sincerity at play. They are a massive band wrapped up in a rag-tag package. Or at least it makes me much happier to think this when they launch their show with “Formed a Band”.

At the boisterous and engaging center of it all is Eddie Argos, too busy exercising his electromagnetic personality to bother with picking up an instrument. While he could probably captivate with a evening of his ragged speak-singing on force of personality alone, the ridiculous proficiency of the band makes that point moot. They have it all: a crazy-haired guitar virtuoso (the aforementioned Ian), the requisite girl bass player, a drummer who laughs through the whole show without missing a beat, and Jasper Future who balances supporting vocals, additional guitar, and hilariously expressive facial expressions. When the band promises that their next Seattle show will be in an arena during an early Q & A portion of the set, it’s easy to believe that this is a definite possibility. ³

As the show progresses, they build on the crowd’s already high energy. Most songs begin with a self-referential exclamation and question (”Ready Art Brut?”). Eddie jumps rope with his microphone cord, clarifies that reference to cliche mustache in “These Animalmenswe@r” is to his own now-absent facial hair and not that of Chris from We Are Scientists, introduces “Moving to LA” with rhyming stories about drinking Hennessy with Morrissey, and wanders among the floor and up to the all ages balcony to make some new friends. As usual, he demands that we all form bands before they come back to town.⁴ “Emily Kane” includes a Jay-Z inspired introduction, a cautionary tale of drunk texting, and a recommendation to free ourselves from unrequited loves. By the end of the set, the pogoing near the front of the room has intensified and spread dramatically.

They leave the stage and return upon the intense chanting (”Art Brut Top of the Pops”) for “My Little Brother”. They follow it up with “Bad Weekend”, their “#1 drinking dancing love song” and manage to name-check the Lashes mid-song. For good measure, they close with a We Are Scientists cover. Keith joins them on stage, where they completely destroy “The Great Escape” in the best way possible. Isn’t October Rocktober the best ever?

1. with all of the excitement and the upstairs merch booth, I somehow forgot to pick up the new Art Brut / We Are Scientists split. Did anyone get a copy? Can I borrow it?

2. see also, “America We Stand As One” and just try to figure out if it’s for real. I dare you to try.

3. but we can hope that it doesn’t happen anytime soon, given the real treat of seeing them in a manageable setting.

4. On this front, Seattle is probably already far ahead of the game. Still, feel free to e-mail me if you need someone without any particular musical talent for your next project. Bad singing, triangle playing, I’m your guy.