Let’s get this out of the way right now: I am a Cut Copy fanboy. I’ve seen them about 5 times live already in various sized venues across the country and beyond; they are a band that hold a very special place in my heart. Their music is one of the guaranteed things that can turn a bad day around for me, just slipping In Ghost Colours on my iPod can melt away even the worst of days. They are a good time band, a band that make music for your feet and for those moments that make you just want to close your eyes, throw your hands in the air and move like no-one’s watching. I’m not going to lie, there are many of these moments in this triumphant set tonight.
Disappointingly, The Ritz isn’t full like I’d hope it would be. In fact, they’ve closed the balcony so it’s just everyone down front on the floor. As the start time gets closer, the floor fills up nicely and my fears of dancing with just 50 other people are assuaged. Maybe it’s because it’s a Tuesday night, maybe it hasn’t been advertised widely, or maybe the venue’s just slightly too big for them just yet (last time they played here it was at the tiny Club Academy), but no matter, the people that are here are up for it and are ready for action. The band bounce on stage and fly straight into ‘We Are Explorers’ from their brilliant new album Free Your Mind, and immediately my feet moving and my hips are swivelling; they’ve got me already, and they won’t let go for the next 80 minutes.
It’s like being in an early 90’s house rave, all big pianos and huge beats. Free Your Mind is pretty much summer encapsulated, and as they band launch into the title track, the words appear behind them and stay pretty much all night, reminding the crowd to just let go and go with them. Older songs from In Ghost Colours get the best reaction of the night, with ‘Hearts On Fire’s’ sublime sax solo before a huge drop sending the crowd bouncing, arms waving towards the heavens in a mass of sweaty adulation. Perhaps the best song of the night is the absolutely incendiary ‘Let Me Show You Love’. The band’s backdrop changes to hypnotic, swirling circles as the introductory rave horns give way to the pulsing bass, sending the crowd into a mass of blissed-out head nodding, it’s absolutely incredible. Followed by perhaps their best loved song ‘Lights & Music’, it’s a knockout one-two that will struggle to be bettered in a live setting this year.
Finishing on ‘Need You Now’, played out against the backdrop of a shimmering ocean, Cut Copy depart the stage and leave the crowd in a state of house’d up bliss, who even without any perception bending narcotics have had their mind freed by this very special band. It’s just a shame there weren’t more people there to witness it.
Cut Copy Official | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud
