Needless to say, when Black Kids and Cut Copy took the Phoenix Concert Theatre stage on May 9th, there was a smidgeon of dancing going on, and not some self-conscious counting-out-the-beats dancing either. We’re talking eyes-closed, head-back, I-don’t-give-a-shit dancing. If Toronto were that little town in Footloose where dancing is illegal, prostitution and crack sales would have been the least of the Sherbourne-area police’s concerns that night.
After politely bobble-heading to the tight, breezy electro-rock of openers Mobius Band, the crowd really started moving when Jacksonville, Florida’s much-hyped Black Kids took the stage. You rarely hear a bad word said about Black Kids, partially because it’s hard to say “I hate Black Kids” without sounding racist, and partially because, well, the group is awesome. At this point, the seAmerican Apparelled Floridians only have a free online EP to their name with a highly anticipated Columbia debut dropping in July. Nevertheless, their insistent basslines, angular guitars and infectious choruses sound more like greatest-hits fare than some baby band’s demo material. In a tight 40-minute set, the Kids ploughed through undeniable movers like “Hit the Heartbrakes,” “I Wanna Be Your Limousine” (which singer Reggie Youngblood correctly characterized as “the fucking jam for real”) and the superb single, “Hurricane Jane.” Acknowledging Toronto duo Cansecos’ recent “Hurricane” remix, Youngblood commented that, “We owe them hand jobs for life.” Well put.
Black Kids’ boisterous songs were made for a live setting and Reggie Youngblood was made to deliver them. With thick curls bursting out of his hood like cotton from a ripped couch cushion, the singer yelped fervently, spinning around and even dropping his guitar on the closing cut. The only other Black Kid to draw much on-stage attention was Reggie’s sister, Ali, who contrasted the frontman’s manic energy with controlled Supremes hand movements and hauntedly restrained Stepford-Wife back-up vocals.
Australian electro-rock outfit Cut Copy’s clean, controlled sound provided a similar contrast to Youngblood’s sloppy spazz attack. Despite the group’s relative restraint, however, they were even more successful than their predecessors in getting the crowd moving. It’s easy to see why Cut Copy’s tunes work on stage. Their breezy melodies are all, “Hey friend, let’s sing together in the spirit of love and peace,” while their insistent, stadium-thumping electro beats are like, “You will dance and you will like it.”
On this year’s excellent Tim Goldsworthy-produced In Ghost Colours, the trio wisely kept their electro influences on a tight leash, letting the beats serve rather than overpower their pretty pop songs. But on Friday night, Cut Copy let the house beats come out to play, turning the Phoenix Concert Theatre into Studio 54 by the end of their hour-plus show. Whereas Youngblood inspired audience movement through his own onstage antics, singer Dan Whitford simply pumped his fists in the air like a calm and confident puppet master as the lights flashed and the convulsing crowd shouted along to the appropriately titled “Lights and Music,” a summery single so good, we all owe the band hand jobs for life.