CUT COPY @ RIVIERA THEATRE

Cut Copy w/Holy Ghost!
Where: The Riviera Theatre
When: April 8th, 2011
Reviewed By: Gina Provenzano

Some may argue that electronic music is best when heard through a set of speakers or headphones. Production values are polished and everything is mixed to perfection in a studio. Translating those songs to a live show can be difficult, with some acts heavily relying on backing tracks and giving their audience an overstated karaoke show. On Friday night, Cut Copy and Holy Ghost! showed a sold-out crowd at The Riviera Theatre they could perform live while throwing a proper dance party, reaffirming why they’re the current leaders of the new wave dance movement.

The night started with Holy Ghost! playing a synth heavy set mostly filled with songs from their newly released self-titled album. Their short set, which included singles like “Do it Again” and “Wait and See,” was able to keep the half-filled crowd interested and warmed up for the headliner.  Their set was very tight for a young band and proved that one day soon they could be headlining a show of this size.

By the time Cut Copy emerged to play, the audience had filled the floor to the tops of the balcony and there was a palpable energy amongst a group of people who had clearly come to sweat it out. Entering the stage through a door that then became a projector screen for the rest of the night, the band kicked off with “Nobody Lost, Nobody Found,” from their breakthrough album In Ghost Colours. They launched into a set filled with a combination of old and new. Hits like “Hearts on Fire” and “Lights and Music” were mixed in with newer tracks off of Zonoscope like “Where I’m Going” and “Need You Now." Regardless of what song was playing, the crowd was constantly moving, fist pumping, and clapping along — even shaking the floors of the worn-down Riviera. The usually four-piece band brought an extra percussionist to help accentuate all of the beats. It was evident that the well-dressed Australians were having a great time playing each note while giving everything they had to the energetic audience. Lead singer Dan Whitman commanded the crowd from behind his synthesizer, confessing that “It’s always a good time in Chicago.” In fact it was such a good time in Chicago that the band came back for not one, but two encores, finishing the night with another track off of In Ghost Colours “Feel the Love.”

Overall, the show proved that Cut Copy is maturing as a band and greatly improving their live act. Luckily for Chicago, the group is set to return in July for the Pitchfork Music Festival in a well deserved headlining spot to again bring their brand of dance pop to a packed crowd.