Show Review: Cut Copy @ Stubb’s (6/21)

Sometimes you have to pay the toll. The heat was taking the toll. Stubb’s is probably just a little too small to host Cut Copy these days. The band is stuck in popularity in the gap that Austin can’t quite handle and I doubt Cedar Park Center would be a popular destination for an indie-pop electro Aussie dance party.

Damn. It was hot. We sweat, we dance, we sweat more. We wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Click through for a couple more thoughts and plenty of pics.

Nile Delta provided the beats for your entry in the venue and during changeover. Familiar beats, new beats. Soundtrack to complaints about the heat.

Classixx is great choice of opener. They bring the dance party with a few originals and some cleverly-crafted remixes that work in a live setting for any show that results in your hands being in the AAA-yah. The crowd was in full shimmy, singing to the originals and the samples. The track Classixx did with Nancy Whang, “All You’re Waiting For” finished things out and there was merriment.

A guy vomited in the crowd near the front. Yech. Selfies galore.

Disclaimer: I am a big fan of Cut Copy.

Cut Copy is still elevating their game in the live setting. ATH was lukewarm after their first time through town many years ago. They showed improvement next time around. They have since been back for festivals big and bigger and killed. This is the peak of their Austin visits. Whether it is the spendy ticket price for Stubb’s or the overall popularity of the band, it seemed the conversation during their set normally in effect at Stubb’s was replaced with sing-along and sweaty rejoicing.

Lighting was phenomenal, a large projection screen for less than subliminal product placement for the new album and song titles followed by random images and patterns. Nice balance of color in the background being extended to the stage-lighting. The set list was stunning and my wife is thrilled with the choice to finish with “Need You Know”. They profusely thanked Austin and said that Stubb’s is home for them and quite honestly, this show had to be here. The setting, the crowd, it all worked. One of the best shows I have ever seen at Stubb’s, not because of one particular thing or another, it just felt right.