Dancing under neon lights, Cut Copy electrified the stage at Brooklyn Steel on Friday, Nov. 21, for their North American tour celebrating the release of their new album Moments, which dropped in early September. The Australian-born band has been around since 2001, and I myself have been a fan since early high school.
Opening the show with “Visions” off their 2008 album, In Ghost Colours. The band immediately put the crowd into a shimmering synth-pop trance. This show was an excellent display of sound and color. The band’s co-founder, Dan Witford, is also a graphic designer, so it was no surprise that the lighting was beautiful, acutely intentional, and mesmerizing.
The set had songs from across their entire discography, and the crowd knew every word to every track. The vibe in the room was fuzzy; everyone swaying and singing the whole time. It was genuinely palpable just how much the audience loved this band. I was standing next to an Australian couple for the bulk of the show who had clearly been fans since the early days of Cut Copy; I eventually told them I was a writer and asked, “How many times have you seen them live?” I learned they traveled from Perth to Brooklyn to see their favorite band for the thirteenth time over the past 20 or so years. Very cool people to boogie with, despite the fact that they spilled a full beer on me midway through the show.
Mid-set, they played my favorite song off their new album, “Belong to You,” which features Kate Bollinger. The crowd sang particularly loudly for this track, and pretty much every couple was making out at one point or another during this track, equal parts adorable and gross. I loved it.
WATCH: “Belong to You” Feat. Kate Bollinger
Towards the end of the show, they played “Hearts on Fire,” and the crowd erupted. Everyone was dancing, laughing, and once again, making out. I danced with my hands up, spinning around under the flashing lights, not wanting the show to be over. The band stepped off after this song, and my heart broke a little, but obviously, there was going to be an encore, so I wasn’t ready to go into post-concert-depression mode quite yet.
After a brief moment offstage, the band came out onto the stage for two final songs, capping the night off with “Lights and Music,” their most popular song. The lights covered the crowd in a psychedelic rainbow. The song ended, the band waved goodbye, and off they went. Long live Cut Copy and shoutout Australians, I love how you guys make music and make me dance.
