NME/Radio 1 Stage
If you wanted more than just a stellar set you could not beat We Are Scientists at the NME/Radio 1 Stage. Granted, Keith Murray and his comic assistant Chris Cain still look like geography teachers but the sort every kid wants as 'Dinosaurs' and 'I Don't Bite' slalomed in their set to thrashing guitar and subtle verses. Only with the familiar 'Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt' could you gauge any crowd reaction.
Irony was never far from their set as Cain wryly introduced the indiepop classic 'Impatience' as a surfer song. The comedy drew away from how much of a virtuoso guitarist Murray could claim to be with his impressive control over 'Let's See It'. Cain could play the standup role admirably too as in introducing 'This Scene Is Dead' he also asked the audience: "Was anyone here in 2006? Yes we were too," before Murray interrupted: "Man that is really bad banter." Ever the gracious host, 'Inaction' saw Murray deliver vocals from a sitting position due to a brief microphone malfunction.
The occasion was clearly too much excitement for Cain as he pulled off a jumper before 'Chick Lit' to which Murray quipped "What are you doing are you going for a costume change?" before he ordered the crowd, "OK, anyone who is wearing clothes on their upper body, remove them now". Only a few were happy to oblige but more so for 'Nice Guys' with its insistent guitar and slow, lingering vocals. Still the hits came coming as 'Cashcow' impressed with added bombast to cheeky guitar riffs before a textbook raucous rendition of 'The Great Escape'. They could easily have left then but their choice of 'After Hours' for a final track was telling with many pleading the line "Say, that you'll stay" but, sadly, they had to depart.