Photo courtesy: Cut Copy

Author: David Heinrich
Cut Copy came to us in Madison by way of Melbourne, Australia, where they were formed in 2001. They are composed of lead singer Dan Whitford, guitarist Tim Hoey, drummer Mitchell Scott, and bassist Ben Browning. If you, like me, were down to dance and go crazy to some new wave/synthpop/dance-punk genre bending goodness, this was the show for you. Their live shows are packed with energy and it's almost kinetic, compelling you to move your body to their driving beats and synths. I saw Cut Copy at Mamby on the Beach in Chicago this summer, and I couldn't recommend it enough. I didn't know too much of their stuff at the time, just their biggest song “Lights and Music”. My friends and I were treated to a spectacle of dance and movement combined with a passionate performance and a mesmerizing light show at sunset. That same spectacle was on display Saturday night, with only a couple key differences.

The atmosphere was much more intimate than at a festival, the lights were blinding, and the dancing was non-stop. My favorite aspect of the show was the transitions. After swelling to the climax of one song, the quartet would give the audience a few minutes of unhindered dance before bringing us back down to earth. Between songs, the backbeat would continue, as Cut Copy started anew. They'd build the next song over the continuing beat, assuring us that we would never be without a kick drum and a snare to keep us moving. The energy never dipped as they meandered across their whole discography. They played lots of songs from their new album “Haiku From Zero” but played hits and deep cuts from across their discography, notably from their breakthrough album “In Ghost Colours” and their Grammy-nominated “Zonoscope”. It was an evening that unleashed the dancing spirit in all of us, and I wish I could go back to it right now.