Cut Copy rounded out our drunken, sweaty Saturday evening at Sonar–– finishing up what seemed to be a pretty solid evening with Ponytail and Black Kids (see previous post). After arriving late and catching the last two songs by Black Kids, I must say I was mad at my self for missing most of their show. A part of me can’t help but hate them for all their cutesy singalong popiness, and the hype that has surrounded them–– but damn it sounded and felt great.

As far as Ponytail goes, if I don’t make it to their next show (Talking Head, May 28th) I might have to physically slap myself.

Cut Copy brings a great disco/electro vibe to their music. A mixture of live electronics, super synthy new-wave throwback and simple, borderline-monotone vocals that refuse to overshadow any of the catchy samples or instrumentation. Try NOT to dance to this stuff.

That being said–– the Melbourne outfit brought a non-stop dance-party, which is pretty much exactly what I expected and was looking for. Drinks were flowing, and the crowd seemed to be eating them up. The set never really slowed down or sped up, for better or worse. And the humidity in Sonar rose to an epic level–– patrons swimming back and forth from the bar to the dancefloor.

There seemed to be a pretty solid formula to what they were doing live. I’m not sure I can quite grasp it yet, but much of it had to do with the sample trigger that they were using. Basically, where many bands would have 3-4 sythns, and play these intricate parts live, Cut Copy instead decided on triggering these samples using a pad. This makes it much easier for them and I haven’t decided if I am mad about that. Granted, I suppose it was a bit less impressive from a musicianship standpoint, but I know for a fact it was probably much more fun to let loose and dance around on stage, knowing that all you had to do was slam a pad with your hand every 4 measures, instead of hunching over a keyboard in complete focus.

Don’t get me wrong, they were playing live instruments– guitars, basses, drums, I think there was some actual live synth in there. It just seemed that for 70% of the show, the guy on the right side of the stage was just dancing in place and touching this pad every now and again.

My only other gripe? When they played “Saturday”, there was no phone sample. Hah. Damnit I love that song. Also, no after party! What’s up with that? Seems like every other city on their tour had an exclusive Cut Copy after party, but not Baltimore! Instead, house DJs started playing, and the underagers started pouring in.

Cut Copy continues its massive tour, in support of In Ghost Colours. For dates, locations and music:

http://www.myspace.com/cutcopy

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