Another sold-out show for Australia’s Cut Copy last night at Stubb’s to kick off their 2009 North American tour; they came last year and played the smaller venue Emo’s to a packed house. I only found out they were Aussies a couple weeks ago when I noticed their remix of Ladyhawke’s “Paris is Burning.” Like most Americans, when I think of an electronic-based act, I tend to assume they’re British, American or (sometimes) Canadian; Aussies have been pigeonholed by their legacy of AC/DC, INXS, Midnight Oil and Silverchair. What are they like though? Most of what I have read has put them alongside Daft Punk and Air but after some more carefully listening, I would say they’re a cheerful version of New Order (pay attention to the Peter Hookesque bass on a couple songs).
Before they took the stage, (DJ) Knightlife got the crowd warmed up with an hour of his mixing. The modified version of Fleetwood Mac’s “You Make Loving Fun” was my personal favorite because the John McVie bass is so distinctive and it’s good to hear someone make it the main attraction.
Then the Brooklyn duo Matt & Kim did their set of brief, rapid-fire songs which made me equate them to being an American version of Oppenheimer. I added their album to my list of CDs to hunt down for my next trip to Waterloo Records.
As for Cut Copy, they wowed the crowd by opening with “Hearts on Fire” and were backed by a light show which would make Ladytron jealous. I was more impressed by their ability to perform some very technical material live and surprised by how much of their sound was made through traditional Rock instruments (guitars and drums). They stuck to material from the current album In Ghost Colours which was all I recognized since I’m still discovering their previous body of work. Cut Copy saved “Lights and Music” for the encore; I would’ve been disappointed if they didn’t do it because this song was a free download on iTunes last year and led to me getting hooked on their sound.