We Are Scientists have great memories of the last time they were in Dundee.
The indie-power-pop duo from New York were appearing at Fat Sam’s in 2007 when the amps went off, leading the crowd to begin a chant which ended up being adopted by audiences throughout the land and became a new anthem for the band after it went viral on YouTube.
Chris Cain, bass player and vocalist in the band, remembers that night well.
“The power went down on stage but the mics stayed on, so the drummer started a bit of floor drumming, then the keyboard kicked back in and we started a sort of dance music thing.
“It was brilliant and for some reason audiences kept on doing it on the rest of the tour. So I remember it well and I’m looking forward to coming back to Dundee.
“Buskers sounds like a great venue. Small venues are easier to make sound big.”
Founded in 2005, the band’s breakthrough success came with their first studio album, With Love and Squalor, which sold 100,000 copies in the first six months.
Second album Brain Thrust Mastery charted at number 11 in the UK album chart, with two top 40 singles, After Hours and Chick Lit.
Chris and band mate, singer/guitarist Keith Murray have released two more excellent albums in the past couple of years, TV en Francais in 2014, which returned them to the top 40 and Helter Seltzer, which came out in the spring this year to excellent reviews.
Not content with headlining festivals, selling out London’s KOKO and playing a host of shows in major cities around the country in May, followed by a visit to Germany, We Are Scientists have returned to British shores this autumn.
Their 24 dates brings the total this year to an impressive 40 UK shows, including eight festivals and 32 headline shows.
Chris and Keith agree that touring and playing live are the only way bands can make a realistic living these days, although he says they are reluctant to turn their gigs into the “never-ending tour”.
“It’s true to some degree but there’s still the risk of burning out your audience,” Keith said.
“If we came back to Dundee even twice a year our sales would suffer. You need to have a new record out, or maybe your 10th anniversary – you’ve got to have a reason or the fans won’t keep coming to see you.
“I do believe it is a pendulum, though, I think guitar music will come back into vogue at some point.”
Buskers, Dundee, Wednesday, October 26
We Are Scientists will be hoping their amps hold up for this visit to Dundee.
