We Are The Physics - The Barfly, London - 21/5/08
4/5
By: Sam Crawford
"We only have one notch...and that notch is very fast"
The energetic front man Michael isn't kidding when he utters this statement. We Are The Physics are a Glaswegian four-piece here to deliver their indie/punk tunes in an unrelentingly fast paced thrashing, along with quirky humorous antics and hyped up power to Camden's Barfly audience.
They take to the stage with a less than full venue to play to; it's the Champions League final this evening and football has succeeded in robbing them of some of their listeners, something which would obviously never happen in Scotland. But this doesn't stop them throwing everything they have into their performance, and the audience present is definitely up for a good show; which The Physics duly provide.
They kick off in dynamic style; the front man Michael jumping on top of the bass drum within the first ten seconds, while the rest of the band inject the same amount of sprightly energy into their playing. They all proceed by chanting "We, Are, The Physics" at us (they say true) before bursting into 'Fear of Words' from their debut album; the lead vocalist Michael delivering a barrage of high pitched, top speed yelps in an inexorable fashion, while dancing in a lively robotic manner. They are more fun than a monkey riding a motorbike through Piccadilly Circus.
They introduce their recent single 'You Can Do Athletics' by thanking the audience for helping it get to number one in the charts; enabling them to play on Top Of The Pops (not so true), and then perform their jumped-up track which sounds like the Futureheads but with more bite. Michael rocks the geek chic with his thick rimmed glasses, and as he head bangs through '...Athletics' his spectacles slide to the tip of his nose. Playing the bass as well; it doesn't seem like he can do much about this, but Halfway through the song he yells "STOP," which the band immediately do, before leaning over to the guitarist who promptly rights them. Michael yells "COMMENCE" in his jocular Glaswegian accent and they instantly follow in time and bash out the rest of the song. Highly amusing.
They frequently pause instruments to deliver rhythmical claps all round, bringing back good memories of the Wayne's World 'Hey Mickey' rendition, and also add little quirks such as pausing like musical statues in the middle of their songs while the bass drum bangs out. Their humour and vibrant energy is a welcome addition to their music, and their album has been on heavy rotation since I received it. If you want to see a firework factory explode but no one get injured, go and watch We Are The Physics.
All photography copyright Mark Proctor - http://www.markproctorphoto.com
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