Okay, I never went to The Hacienda during the Second Summer of Love – in fact, I was only just born. However, there were moments at Cut Copy where I felt like I was totally there, dancing alongside 2,000 other MDMA-filled punters. In reality I was at a half empty (perhaps more) HQ, on a Friday night, in Adelaide. So what could have possibly created this obscene illusion? Lots of strobes and extended electronic jams, of course.

Cut Copy has always switched from synths to guitars with ease (and back again) on their albums, and their live show is no different. Tim Hoey perhaps illustrated this versatility best, playing his guitar with a drum stick à la Thurston Moore one minute, before switching to a percussion pad the next. Dan Whitford hardly stopped moving for the duration of their set, only stopping momentarily to climb onto the bass drum, before continuing to dance on there, and probably breaking a few hundred OH&S laws in the process.

They played all the tracks you’d expect from Zonoscope – Need You Now, Take Me Over, as well as playing In Ghost Colours era stuff – Hearts on Fire, Lights & Music and So Haunted. They even played Time Stands Still from Bright Like Neon Love, which for a long-time fan like myself, was pretty damn exciting. They also played the [aa.artist:Lindstrøm] & Prins Thomas esque Sun God, in all its 15 minute glory. It was here that the Hacienda vibes really kicked in, as Dan Whitford tweaked around with a giant, complicated looking box of some sort, making cool electronic noises. The crowd liked it, the band obviously enjoyed it, and it was undoubtedly one of the night’s highlights.

After waiting to see Cut Copy for years, I’ve now seen them at Parklife, Laneway and in their own show, all in a period of a little over six months. Generally you’d probably tire of seeing a band that often in such a short period of time, but each show has been different and exciting for its own reasons.

It was their solo show, however, that was definitely the best. The longer set gave them a chance to play a greater mix of material to a more appreciative crowd. They’re good performers, keep their banter to desirable levels, but most importantly they show genuine enthusiasm for what they do. HQ might be a venue a lot of us cringe at the thought of, but it has the best sound of any gig I’ve been to, not to mention a pretty cool light show.