Melbourne electro-pop rockers Cut Copy never seem to fail to amaze. Every time they step on stage, you know it is going to be a straight-up dance party. Now, if we could only get them to play all night, until the sun comes up….and maybe every night of the week. Cut Copy is one of those bands that embraces several different genres, and does so very effectively. The formula, you ask? Hmmm….let’s mix 80’s new wave, some synthpop, a hint of indie rock, a dash of trance, and sprinkle some catchy, lyrical hooks, and you have a delectable dish of music that makes you do just about anything but stand still and look lost.

Since their last NYC show in November at Le Poisson Rouge, which acted as a launch party for the a collaboration between NPR Music and KCRW’s Metropolis, Cut Copy has been supporting their latest album, Free Your Mind. With the group back at Terminal 5 for a sold-out, two-night stand, I was able to catch the band’s Friday night version of a dance-a-thon. The band wasted no time, opening up with “We Are Explorers” from the new album, following that up with “Take Me Over” from 2011’s Zonoscope, which gives one brief reminders of another popular Australian group – and one who opened the floodgates for bands from the Land Down Under – Men At Work.

“Where I’m Going,” which also appears on the Oliver Stone film’s Savages soundtrack, allowed the crowd the first real opportunity to warm up their vocal chords, as Dan Whitford and company have become so deft at creating songs that seemingly beg for audience participation. Whether it be jumping up and down, waving your hands in the air, undulating your hips back and forth, or singing along, a Cut Copy show is a fully engaging experience for everyone involved. I’m not going to lie, during “In Memory Capsule,” I closed my eyes and felt like I was at a Culture Club concert back in the 80’s; and it felt so good, and not something that I would have admitted to myself in the early-mid 90’s, as I was going through my grunge stage. As my musical tastes have matured with age, along with the gray hairs in my beard, it doesn’t seem as if survival would be possible without music such as this.

It can be said that In Ghost Colours is, arguably, Cut Copy’s best album; or, at the very least, the album that defined the band and put them on the map. And for any fan that may feel that way, the next four songs may have been the highlight of the show, as the band tore through a segment of “So Haunted,” “Hearts on Fire,” “Feel the Love,” and “Out There On Ice” that increased the temperature in Terminal 5 ever so slightly….well, that’s a lie. It was like a sauna. “Sun God” was a welcome addition to the set, as its driving beats allow for a heavier side of Cut Copy that isn’t always evident.

The segue of “Meet Me In a House of Love>Lights & Music” is one that works perfectly (as well as one that the band seems to favor), with a seamles transition from one song to the next that keeps the groove going for everybody on the dance floor. You want to talk about a place going wild, then you should have been at T5 on Friday – and I’m sure Saturday, as well – when Cut Copy broke into “Lights & Music.” It’s a truly cathartic experience; every limb is gyrating, every vein is pulsating, bodies are bouncing, vocal chords are straining, and the venue becomes a veritable sweat box of sheer joy. After a long week of work, this is something that this particular fan could use at least once a week to let some steam off.

With a necessary breather for both band and fans alike, an encore of “Walking in the Sky,” and “Need You Now” put the finishing touches on what turned out to be a fantastic Friday night concert experience in New York City. Cut Copy is a necessary show to catch whenever they play nearby. With a songwriting ability that translates well on both record and in the live setting, as well as an uncanny knack for creating these sonic soundscapes that allow the band to open up and bring an audience in, it’s tough to find a fault in the band; they are really that good. Even your most novice of music fans can show up and have a fun time, as the energy in the venue is palpable and easily transferred from one body to the next. It’s like a disease, but one that you wouldn’t mind getting, or not having cured.

– Chris Meyer (@ChrisMeyerL4LM)

[All photo credit to Robert Altman. For a full gallery of pictures from the show, click here.]

 

Setlist: We Are Explorers, Take Me Over, Free Your Mind, Where I’m Going, In Memory Capsule, So Haunted, Hearts on Fire, Feel the Love, Out There on the Ice, Let Me Show You Love, Sun God, Meet Me In a House of Love>Lights & Music

Encore: Walking in the Sky, Need You Now

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