Currently on tour to promote their EP release, indie-electro rockers Art vs Science, stopping by Adelaide for the second time this month, had brought their inflatable penguins and were ready to create one helluva’ sweaty venue.

After an opening support for the night from Jimmy and the Mirrors, the local produce was to continue with the next stage presence being The Touch. Performing light-hearted indie rock and always dressed to impress, the boys did a good job warming up the crowd. This was only perhaps bettered by a set from The Killgirls.

The Killgirls proved to be a remarkably tight performance, their music rich with hard rock lashings and superb percussion. They succeed above all support acts in drawing the sold-out venue to the dancefloor, just in time for flippers fun with the leading act themselves, Art vs. Science.

The crowd had grown to the point where it was a large, bouncing curve around the stage, with every proximity of space, ceiling included, filled with a shaking fist. This was by far the most promising crowd I’d ever seen at Rocket Bar. Unfortunately, hype and destruction go hand-in-hand in most of these situations. After a few punters tried to clamber on stage and grab at the synthesizers, some wrists were to be slapped.

“Look, if you see anyone trying to touch the keyboards, feel free to punch them in the fucking face,” said keyboardist Jim Finn quite seriously. A tiff between the musicians and cheeky punters aside, once said keyboard gropers backed off a bit the show resumed. The sound was quite decent tonight, given sound engineering at Rocket Bar is often questionable. Yet the keyboards were clearly audible above the drums, and the crowd were loving every synth note.

Highlights throughout the set included tracks like Hollywood and Parlez-Vous Francais. The set was not without its perks, such as one song briefly detouring into a Rage Against the Machine cover in its intro. This got the crowd even more amped, with a couple of girls near me thrusting their heads so violently, and so close to the stage, I swear they were about to concuss themselves.

The energy hit peak levels when favourite Flippers came on. This inspired a giant wave of head-bang movement from everyone within a 10 metre radius. Well, they did have the blow-up penguins after all. You think they forked out at the National Geographic shop for those things and weren’t going to play its accompamient? Endingthe set with the a crowd chant of “We are Art! Versus! Science,” we all left with our flippers definately down.

As always, a highly energized set from the AvS boys, with lots of fun ensued.