Someone clearly forgot to give Cut Copy guitarist Tim Hoey the memo about the dress code. While his three bandmates (plus an additional percussionist) were all clad in matching grey button-down shirts, the axe-man was out of place in his black blazer and pink shirt. This apparent clothing mix-up was perhaps the only blunder of a rock-solid set during which Cut Copy sounded every bit as tight as on record.
Before the mismatched headliners took the stage, however, the evening got off to a bad start when scheduled opener Washed Out was axed from the bill after being turned away at the Canadian border. Concertgoers had to instead settle for Midnight Magic, a Brooklyn-based outfit whose semi-formal attire, techno-tinged funk-soul sound and repeated demands for the audience to dance gave off the tacky vibe of a wedding band.
Thankfully, the evening turned around as soon as Cut Copy sauntered on stage and launched into "Take Me Over," its "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"-style dance grooves immediately bringing the audience out of its shell. From there, the band kept the energy high and the tempos surging: "Feel the Love" inspired a massive audience sing-along with its wordless vocal hook, while singer Dan Whitford punctuated "Alisa" by extending a lanky arm into the air during its ascendent chorus.
The band didn't say much between songs, and the less-is-more stage setup (consisting of a handful of coloured lights, plus a few strobes) kept the focus on the musicianship. Cut Copy waited until the encore to use their most eye-grabbing trick: a star-scape backdrop of tiny white lights, which illuminated unexpectedly during the hypnotic "Need You Now." The band then finished their performance with "Out There on the Ice," which inspired the enraptured crowd to lift their hands towards the ceiling and generally go apeshit. It was an excellent end to a night that might have been perfect were it not for those pesky Canadian border guards.
Before the mismatched headliners took the stage, however, the evening got off to a bad start when scheduled opener Washed Out was axed from the bill after being turned away at the Canadian border. Concertgoers had to instead settle for Midnight Magic, a Brooklyn-based outfit whose semi-formal attire, techno-tinged funk-soul sound and repeated demands for the audience to dance gave off the tacky vibe of a wedding band.
Thankfully, the evening turned around as soon as Cut Copy sauntered on stage and launched into "Take Me Over," its "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"-style dance grooves immediately bringing the audience out of its shell. From there, the band kept the energy high and the tempos surging: "Feel the Love" inspired a massive audience sing-along with its wordless vocal hook, while singer Dan Whitford punctuated "Alisa" by extending a lanky arm into the air during its ascendent chorus.
The band didn't say much between songs, and the less-is-more stage setup (consisting of a handful of coloured lights, plus a few strobes) kept the focus on the musicianship. Cut Copy waited until the encore to use their most eye-grabbing trick: a star-scape backdrop of tiny white lights, which illuminated unexpectedly during the hypnotic "Need You Now." The band then finished their performance with "Out There on the Ice," which inspired the enraptured crowd to lift their hands towards the ceiling and generally go apeshit. It was an excellent end to a night that might have been perfect were it not for those pesky Canadian border guards.
