Art Vs Science have come a long way since I first caught them opening the mix-up tent at last year’s Splendour In The Grass. They left such an impression that seeing them there remains one of my fondest memories of that weekend, and I’m very sure more than a few of the people that witnessed last year’s spectacular festival debut feel the same. Not knowing what to expect, I joined the crowd at the half-full mix-up tent after checking out ‘Flippers’ on their MySpace page and being instantly hooked. Everyone who I spoke to that day raved about ‘the next big thing’ being Art VS Science after that performance. No one knew the songs, but everyone in that tent exploded with energy from the get-go.

Now fast forward a little bit over a year and you bring us to ‘The Eiffel Tour,’ visiting a packed-out Oxford Art Factory to play a sold-out show to a fairly spaced-out crowd. Art VS Science are now very well-known amongst Australia’s dance and indie scenes and are only growing in popularity, especially when their new track ‘Higher’ picks up (which is, in my humble opinion, their best live song). Now their songs lack a lot lyrically, and songs like ‘Parlez Vous Francias’ sound a bit stupid, but they serve their purpose, they make you dance, have fun, and give you something extremely catchy to chant.

Up until about halfway into the set the crowd wasn’t too active, everyone just seemed to be worried about getting a good spot (which proved quite difficult). However, as soon as Art Vs Science got into the aforementioned ‘Parlez Vous Francias’ the place went wild. It was so hard to find a good spot that I ended up standing on the couch at the very back so I could see these guys and couldn’t help but feel massively jealous of everyone in the mosh pit; the front was going crazy for these guys! ‘Flippers’ only sent the crowd into more of a frenzy as the whole place was now singing along and jumping all over the place (except the elderly couple in front of me).

Opener ‘We Lost A Friend,’ although fairly well-known amongst fans, seemed to bore people, but by the closer 'Hollywood’ the crowd was so into it that I don’t think anyone would have wanted them to leave.

Overall, a great gig by a band that definitely has a bright future as far as Australian dance acts go and well worth the less-than-20 bucks I paid for it. It’s not groundbreaking music if you really listen to it, but it sure as hell is a lot of fun, and sometimes that’s what it’s all about.