On Thursday 1st October 2026, We Are Scientists were back in Nottingham to celebrate 20 years of With Love and Squalor
Playing the breakthrough 2005 record front-to-back, the band opened with the unmistakable momentum of Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt. Anchored by Keith Murray’s twitchy guitar riffs and Chris Cain’s flamboyant basslines and backed by drummer Keith Carne, the trio tore through the tracklist with fierce velocity
True to form, Murray and Cain broke up the break-neck freneticism with their signature deadpan comedy skits and witty audience back-and-forth. Their onstage chemistry is legendary, and they lived up to their reputation as a force of humor. Trading quick-witted, deadpan banter, the lifelong friends treated the audience to ridiculous skits, crowd interactions, and asking if were would rather be at the good or Goose Fair, which kept everyone laughing between the high-energy musical bursts. Their ability to switch instantly from frantic, snotty punk energy to sharp stand-up comedy is an art form they have perfected over twenty years on the road.
We Are Scientists delivered a masterclass in high-velocity indie-rock nostalgia, proving that their gold-certified debut album With Love and Squalor has lost none of its razor-sharp intensity two decades after it first weaponised angular guitar riffs and dance-punk basslines.
Instantly, the venue erupted into a sea of bobbing heads and full-throated singalongs, transported straight back to the mid-2000s peak of the indie-rock boom.
The real magic of the setlist lay in the revival of tracks that have long been absent from standard rotations. Tracks like “This Scene Is Dead” and the brilliant, slower-burning “Textbook” sounded revitalised, giving the room a chance to appreciate how tightly wound and impeccably structured the record remains.
SETLIST
Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt
This Scene Is Dead
Inaction
Can’t Lose
Callbacks
Cash Cow
It’s a Hit
The Great Escape – see our video here
Textbook
Lousy Reputation
Worth the Wait
What’s the Word
You’ve Lost Your Shit – see our video here
Buckle – see our video here
The Big One
Rules Don’t Stop
I Cut My Own Hair – see our video here and here
In My Head
Dinosaurs
What You Want Is Gone
Encore:
Less From You – see our video here
After Hours
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