A Bright Future: Cut Copy Shakes The Riv

By Jake Guidry in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 11, 2011 6:00PM

When Cut Copy released In Ghost Colours in 2008, they came out of nowhere. Though they'd been around for a bit, their second album dropped at the height of the indie-electro phenomenon, and its near-flawlessness became a sort of zeitgeist for the genre. The thing, however, was that not a whole lot of people outside the Pitchfork crowd knew about the Australian trio. And so Cut Copy toured modest venues making what we assume was a modest living, perhaps on their way to the ever-growing electro-indie graveyard, never be to heard from again. But then, in 2010, Cut Copy resurfaced, announcing their third LP, Zonoscope, and started touring again. And this time they weren't playing modest venues. No, they were selling out spots like Metro and, just last Friday, The Riv with opener Holy Ghost!. What could have been short lived suddenly became this immense potential to become one of the elite acts in the world. And Friday they proved that.

The gradual rise of Cut Copy is both a testament to the band's fresh approach to, admittedly, an overdone sound, as well as the lag time between existing on an indie level and becoming mainstream. In a lot of ways, it's the Arcade Fire effect: produce great music for a number of years, then finally get noticed well beyond the point your best work was released. Though Zonoscope is a fine record, in many ways channeling Depeche Mode and late Joy Division, it still falls short of In Ghost Colours. But, really, this doesn't make a difference. Cut Copy is still an excellent band that, like Arcade Fire, produce music that transcends the indie/mainstream line, a distinction that will land you in high places. Not to mention they put on an energetic show that does not relent and gives the fans what they want. There was no better example than Friday's show.

The opener Holy Ghost!, hot off the release of their debut self-titled LP, played an inspired set that hit on all points you'd expect. There's no guessing why the duo opened for Cut Copy, as they remind one of a younger version of the band, taking their own inspired approach to the indie-electro genre. But once Cut Copy took the stage, with an LED door placed prominently in the middle, the energy rose dramatically as they ripped through their 90-minute set. The trio was loud, bouncy and, above all, fun. Hits like "Lights & Music" were played, and the crowd response was nothing short of frenetic. If there was a still body in that venue, it belonged to the staff, though at times that was not the case. Cut Copy's stage presence was doubly impressive, and as we danced along to every song in the packed house, one thing became obvious: Cut Copy was getting big, bigger than we'd ever expect, and it was a good thing. If Arcade Fire's Grammy win generated a shift, we think Cut Copy is apart of that. Don't be surprised to see these guys headline Lollapalooza 2013.