art/official: [review] Cut Copy @ Republic

Love the hand gestures.

This past Saturday our friends at Winter Circle Production along with Republic hosted Cut Copy with Holy Ghost! at Repubic. The city had been waiting for this show for some time, which was made evident before the show even began. I approached the Republic to find a line of people wrapped around the block, waiting to get in. Within ten minutes of being present, the door guy put the “sold out” sign up outside, and a lot of adamant fans seemed very disappointed.

Holy Ghost!

Because of the painfully long line, I walked in about half way through the Holy Ghost! set and immediately began wishing I had gotten there earlier. Holy Ghost! provided a nonstop dance party. Lyrics intermixed with disco-y/electropop beats reminded me a bit of LCD Soundsystem’s (44:33) meets the Disco Biscuits. With just a flare of synth layered over computer noises, the crowd was certainly ready for Cut Copy.

The last time I saw Cut Copy was at Ultra Music Festival two years ago. They played on the “indie stage” alongside MSTRKFT, Crystal Castles, and Deadmau5, but it’s super strange to think of those acts on the small stage today. It certainly didn’t take much time to realize one thing: Cut Copy has gotten really, really popular. As I combed through the crowd to fight for the perfect dance space, front and center, I asked the audience if they had seen Cut Copy before, and while many had not, they were all just as excited as the rest of us.

Lights and music are on my mind...

Cut Copy did NOT disappoint; cheesy 80’s dance pop is so in right now. My spot in the middle quickly became a swimming pool of sweat, as the synthesizers carried the band from track to track. After chanting “Lights and Music” five songs in, it was time to run upstairs. To no surprise, even those who were pushed far away from the railing were still dancing harder than I had seen anyone dancing in a long time. Front man Dan Whitford did a great job of controlling the crowd with his… hands. If Cut Copy ever fails, this man could easily conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The music builds, and his hands are moving up. The music slows, and his hands are moving down – it got comical at times.

Cut Copy’s music is immensely popular at this point. To describe the sound would be a waste of time, as everyone should know what they sound like. Live, they sound even better. One thing that can be said about Republic is that they have a truly amazing sound system. Throbbing bass and synth left this reviewer deaf, smelly, and physically exhausted.