Thursday, 30^th June, 2011, Metro City, Perth: Review by Kaitlyn Offer

If there’s one sure-fire way to warm up on a cold winter night, it’s to party yourself into a sweat. And that’s just what happened last Thursday when ART VS. SCIENCE kicked off their Australian tour here in Perth at Metro City.

Support act STRANGE TALK brought the energy to the start of the night. Maybe people were still defrosting from the wait outside, or perhaps it was just a bit of mid-week sleepiness, but it took a few songs for the crowd to start feeling the dancing mood.

The band however, didn’t let this quiet start to the night dampen their performance (pun intended) as the Melbournians enthusiastically powered through their set. Originals ‘Climbing Walls’ and ‘Eskimo Boy’ were definite crowd pleasers as was a surprise, extended cover of No Doubt’s ‘Hella Good’.

From the moment they walked on to the stage, it was clear ART VS. SCIENCE were prepared to put on a memorable performance ­and they did not disappoint. Opening with ‘Higher’ the three-piece quickly had the crowd dancing away. Their stage presence was truly outstanding as they effortlessly worked the crowd, their instruments and each other, in a way that puts some more experienced bands to shame. Dan Mac and Jim Finn took turns to throw themselves towards the crowd and in a burst of showmanship, Mac climbed on Finn’s shoulders, playing one handed guitar and swigging his drink away – needless to say it was quite a spectacle.

Typically, fan favourites ‘Flippers’, ‘Magic Fountain’ and ‘Parlez Vous Francais?’ had the audience going mental. The feel-good tunes had everyone smiling and dancing making the cold outside a distant memory. That is of course until the set came to a loud, blistering end closing the night with a bang. Braving the elements to and from this show was definitely worth it.