Cut Copy, The Holidays @Enmore Theatre, Sydney(12/05/11)

Mon 16th May, 2011 in Gig Reviews

The Holidays walk on stage to an almost empty Enmore Theatre. Granted, it’s a Thursday night, but an audience as tiny as this would be surprising any day of the week. The band appear unfazed by the lack of support though, powering through their half-hour set with the confidence of a headlining act. Their summery brand of twee-pop could be accurately described as the Strokes meet the Beach Boys. The set’s high point is definitely the tropical Monday Morning Bermuda Triangle, which slowly morphs into a wall of noise, before concluding with a bongo solo. The Sydney quartet exit the stage to polite applause, leaving the crowd content, but far from amazed.

By the time Cut Copy are due on stage, the size of the audience has increased dramatically. While still far from capacity, the floor of the Enmore is now occupied by a respectably voluminous crowd.

The room darkens and Cut Copy emerge through a door that has been erected in the centre of the stage (which would later double as a screen for displaying visuals). The Melbourne four-piece immediately launch into Visions, a cut from their second album, with the crowd reacting positively. The most striking detail of the band’s live sound is that it’s a lot more guitar-centric than their recorded music. Tracks such as the surfy Where I’m Going benefit greatly from this quality, flourishing in a live environment. The band’s performance of the purely electronic Corner of the Sky also sounds far superior to its recorded counterpart, possibly due to the addition of extra cowbell.

The crowd doesn’t reach the peak of its frenzy until the mid-point of the set, when the band perform Lights and Music, evoking a mass sing-along. The performance is also coupled with an extremely impressive light show, adding to the grandiose atmosphere. Hearts on Fire has a similar effect, with the audience reaching out their arms to frontman Dan Whitford, as he sings back at them “With hearts on fire, I reach out to you tonight”.

Whitford appears remarkably confident on stage, performing with the swagger of a young Mick Jagger. However, the same can’t be said for his stage banter, as he awkwardly mumbles his way through band introductions. This does little to detract from the otherwise superb performance though, and as the house lights turn on and the crowd scatters, there isn’t a single disappointed face in sight. Cut Copy have delivered an engaging and memorable set to an appreciative audience. If you can think of a better way to spend a Thursday night, I’d like to hear it.