The Art vs. Science bandwagon is pretty crowded. Having circulated their dynamite formula for live dance music over a considerably short time, audiences and musicians alike are downright hooked on this feel-good breed of stomp. After witnessing their remarkably colourful performance I have to say it’s so easy to see why the three guys from Sydney have our flippers in a twist.

Joining Art vs. Science at Revolver was Clubfeet. Far from the debilitating disease their name may suggest, Clubfeet would have to be my personal surprise find of the month. Stumbling over a web of cables as they set up on stage, the first thing to catch my eye about this Aussie trio was their attire: was it just me, or had each band member assembled themselves to a different musical era? A fireball of energy on synth and percussion was Monty Cooper, sporting a ‘50s rocker black leather jacket and Travolta/Presley hairstyle. Yves Roberts adjusted broad Rick Moranis glasses before swinging his bass guitar over a brightly painted 1980’s impressionist shirt, while nearby Sebastian Cohen was looking very 1994 Michael Stipe in his skinny jeans and high buttoned collar. (Or maybe it was just the shaved head that did it…)

Was this intentional?? It was a visual oddity which I couldn’t quite settle with until perhaps their third song, when I realised the fragmented Salvos store on stage was no coincidence. You see, Clubfeet are a highly unique mash of musical influences. Don’t ask me how, but this band has managed to pin 1980s pop-synth to 1970s guitar-folk, while threading a coarse string of grungy, dry 1990s wit through the whole mess! Somehow it works wonders. The musical collection pivots on electronic heels but essentially this is a live handclapping, finger clicking, harmonising, tambourine bashing band. Some favourites were Die Yuppy Scum, an ethereal Count Your Lovers and of course the delightful public service plea Teenage Suicide (Don’t Do It!).

Next to set up were four lads from Perth: The Dirty Secrets. Signaling their entrance, James Watroba slips off his shirt and takes a seat behind the drums. He might as well have cracked his knuckles and roared. Leaping into the ring with him were Jarrah McCleary, Warren Page and Mike Sanders – for a brief moment the stage was a fury of testosterone. Thundering tom-toms and punching guitar riffs shot out at us like retro-rock artillery. Just as the crowd were about to start pummeling their fists into the air, a wave of tight synth-dance sensibilities cut through the set and we were able to file our teeth on something a little grittier than your classic pub rock setup. McCleary and Page were practically bathing in the theatrics, and you’d be hard pressed to wipe the smirk from Sanders’ face.

Suffice to say The Dirty Secrets really own their set, pushing through popular titles My Heart Is On Fire, Lighthouse and Transmission with an infectious enthusiasm. As rousing as the charged performance certainly was, I found myself a little disorientated at times trying to decipher the end of one song from the beginning of the next. It left me with the impression that these guys definitely have the potential to drive their creativity further and I look forward to hearing what new strand of rock they might develop. However, my guess is that The Dirty Secrets ultimately came to Revolver to rock out. Which they did.

Art vs. Science. Some might have you believe these three funsters are a fistful of shiny, dancing playtime. And without careful examination you might be inclined to agree, what with the life-sized inflatable penguins positioned on stage and a few hypnotically bright items of clothing wandering around among them. But look a little closer and you will note the following: No Mac. Woah. Like a kid on a bike screaming out, ‘Look, no hands!’, Art vs. Science are indeed the real thing. Hugely talented musicians with big goofy grins, it appears the trio are on a mission to liberate dance music from loops and tinny backing tracks. It’s about bloody time.

Behind the keys and mixer stands Jim Finn, looking quite like a typical Arts student as he announces each song with a kind of – œTa-dah!’ attitude; as though the boys were pulling rabbits out of hats. Dan W sits at the drum kit spinning his sticks, a beaming guy-smiley behind the disguise of an innocuous black shirt. Let’s assume he was – œvs.’ And finally stands Dan Mac (ok, so one Mac on stage…), wearing a suspiciously scientific white shirt and black tie. Together Art, vs. and Science have the packed venue bouncing around like sardines trying desperately to shake it out to an onslaught of slick hooks and absolutely killer beats.

In case we weren’t all waiting on edge for the powerhouse single Parlez Vous Francais?, Finn warns us to brace ourselves for the grooviest part of the set. Groovier than the jam we just sank ourselves into? Really? Yes. As a completely objective participant, I can honestly say that what was to follow was to be my most enjoyable live music experience of 2009, and judging by the screaming mass I’d bet some serious money it was for a few other punters in the crowd too. Following a long line of head-popping – œwoo!’s (audience participation, yes please!) Mac began ripping apart his guitar with his fingers in an incredible guitar solo. Moving from centre stage into the crowd, where he walked the length of the bar as he ploughed through a skillful display of playing, Mac leapt beyond entertaining showmanship and landed somewhere near epic. Understandably the soloist was as smug as Jack Nicholson when he finally arrived back on stage with time left to skull a beer and lift his arms in victory. What I think I loved most about the whole display was the look on his band mate’s faces during those final moments, lips curled upwards as though to say something along the lines of ‘We. Are. So. Cool.’

Other standout moments in the set included the hypno-synth Take Me To Your Leader, a dance-if-you-still-can closing performance of Flippers and an INXS classic Just Keep Walking, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen covered quite as convincingly. The entire set was a dynamic package of their material, never teetering on glam-rock or hollow synthesiser to support a few catchy hooks. An intelligent group with a fantastic sense of humour to compliment their creativity, Art vs. Science are an absolute storm.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW HERE