Cut Copy at Club Nokia

I predicted that Cut Copy would be playing larger venues when they go on tour again. I didn't expect it to be during this tour, as the show was moved from the Henry Fonda Theater to Club Nokia due to capacity issues the night before.

As bummed as people were about the Henry Fonda Theater show ending early due to the fire marshal pulling the plug on the show, don't forget about the tragedy in Rhode Island during a Great White show. Remember, safety first.

Matt and Kim






It wasn't shocking when I spotted Kim at the Starbucks coffee prior to her set at Club Nokia. Matt and Kim played a hyper-caffeinated set that stirred the pot of dance ready crowd. I think every picture I took of Matt and Kim had both of them grinning like the Cheshire cat. Their smiles are as infectious as Kim's rollicking beats and Matt's quirky synthesizer squeaks.

Grand is the latest release on the Fader label that ends almost quicker then the buzz you get from slamming a Red Bull. Matt and Kim did dip back into their self-titled debut album for the buzzy "Yea Yeah" and "5k". I especially had to chuckle when they did a partial cover of the keyboardtastic "The Final Countdown" by hair metal masters Europe. "Silver Tiles" capped their set as the crowd was sufficiently warmed up for Cut Copy.

Cut Copy






I couldn't have been more excited to see Cut Copy at Club Nokia. I twittered that they absolutely destroyed the Glass House on Monday. Since the show was moved to Club Nokia, there was ample room to move around but the dance floor in front of the stage was stuffed.

I came to the conclusion during the Glass House show that Tim Hoey (Guitars/Keyboards) is a severely underrated guitarist. Tim was abusing his Fender Jazzmaster by scraping it over his Vox amplifiers for washes of noise during the rousing build-ups. I can't help recall some similarities to Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore when he grabbed a drumstick and beat on his guitar strings.

The neon trim lights of Club Nokia happened to coincide with the large multi-colored light setup that pulsated along with their dance grooves. I had a difficult time shooting "Hearts On Fire" because the floor was literally bouncing. Club Nokia wasn't completely full but the screaming fans on the floor would have fooled you otherwise.

Dan Whitford (Vocals/Keyboards/Guitars) was primarily stationed behind his drool worthy Dave Smith Prophet 08 keyboard dialing up shimmering synthesizer tones. I don't remember him picking up a guitar on the prior tours but he was armed with a Fender Jaguar during some songs in the set while Tim switched to an acoustic guitar.

"Far Away" had Tim go over to his makeshift percussion station tackling various electronic drum pads while coming back to the microphone to sing the harmonies. The ambient synth pads of "Visions" soon melted away into the heavily arpeggiated synths of "Nobody Lost, Nobody Found". "Saturdays" from album Bright Like Neon Love has been remixed into a dance floor banger that continued to keep the bodies on the floor moving.

The gliding bass notes of "Unforgettable Season" crashing against the textural scrapes of guitar noise were perfectly sublime as Dan's vocals floated throughout the venue. Synthesizers came back to the forefront with the '80s nostalgic tinged "Out There On The Ice".

During the encore, Dan gave the crowd one last chance to slow dance by playing "Strangers In The Wind". "Lights & Music" brought the house down as the whole crowd was bouncing and screaming. I only can hope they record that third album quickly so they can come back and tour again.

Cut Copy setlist at Club Nokia (3/11/09)
"Hearts On Fire"
"Far Away"
"Visions"
"Nobody Lost, Nobody Found"
"Autobahn Music Box"
"Sands of Time"
"Saturdays"
"Feel The Love"
"Unforgettable Season"
"So Haunted"
"Out There On The Ice"
"Right On Target"
"Strangers In The Wind"
"Future"
"Lights And Music"