Purveyors of fine facial hair, and equally fine three-minute pop songs, We Are Scientists are in town to show off their numerous talents. Having already delivered a comedy seminar at Heriot-Watt earlier in the day, the band return to the day job at a sold-out Potterrow.

Tonight's support, The Departure, are wholly unspectacular. While three quarters of the band do their best to convince the audience of their astute musicianship, frontman David Jones does his best to nullify their efforts, hopping and staggering around the stage as if suffering from a particularly painful dose of cramp, all whilst attempting to give the overriding impression that he couldn’t write a decent song for a poke of chips.

The headliners provide no such disappointment. Taking to the stage at ten o’clock—and without a single labcoat in sight—they launch into their signature tune, 'Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt', sending the crowd (average age, 17) into spasm. Sadly, Potterrow still has to find its feet as a live music venue: it's not until a storming version of 'Can’t Lose' mid set before the PA stops impersonating a giant washing machine.

But this is not to detract from the quality of the performance – especially from a band who lost their drummer just a few weeks ago. In a set split between their first album and new material, the Scientists (bolstered by the addition of a second guitarist) prove that the bouncing basslines and catchy pop hooks of their debut are set to remain more than just a flash in the pan.