Cut Copy/ The Juan Maclean/ Shocking Pinks
HQ Complex
Thursday 12 June


With a heavy touring schedule booked out until September, and as it seems to be the trend of most bands to give our town a miss, a part of me was pleasantly surprised that Cut Copy even bothered coming to Adelaide in the first place ... Thankfully we repaid their faith in us with a packed out venue, and a crowd that didn't miss a beat.

Shocking Pinks and The Juan Maclean were two surprise support acts that managed to hold their own on the night, despite a pretty lifeless response from the crowd. Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem managed to get a few kids dancing during The Juan Maclean's very colourful set, although it became obvious that the majority of music-goers tonight were content on turning up fashionably late, just in time for Cut Copy. Or that they were just uninterested in the opening acts - because the barrier ahead of the stage was holding back nothing but an empty dance floor. This was of course until The Juan Maclean finished their set and the floor began to fill up in anticipation of the main act of the night.

The lights dimmed, smoke machines were kicked into gear, and a bunch of neon-coloured blocks began to glow on either side of the stage. Before even jumping on stage, Cut Copy did manage to create a very cosmic atmosphere, a theme that would have been pretty original if it weren't for Midnight Juggernauts doing pretty much the same thing last time they visited.

After opening with Nobody Lost, Nobody Found, vocalist Dan Whitford managed to get the crowd (which was one of the most energetic and intense that I've ever been a part of) in the palm of his hand, and it remained that way for the rest of the night. While the group did treat us to some older tracks, pretty much every song from 'In Ghost Colours' was brought out, each performed in a way that really did show how capable Cut Copy are on the live stage. So Haunted, Hearts On Fire, Out There On The Ice and Unforgettable Season were highlights, just to name a few, along with a strange backing video for Lights And Music, which seems to be becoming customary for the song at every Cut Copy show.

Once the roadies completed their meaningless checks of equipment which only served the purpose of increasing the suspense within the crowd, Cut Copy came back on stage for the token encore and fittingly wrapped up proceedings with Feel The Love. Thanks to the deafening quality of HQ's sound equipment, and the non-stop energy of the crowd, I think I might need a few days to recover from this one.

Ashley Prigent

Pix: Tanya Jenko