The last time Cut Copy played in Melbourne was in March 2020 supporting New Order at Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
Cut Copy’s dancey synth-pop is a perfect prelude to the legendary UK band, however, the gig was surrounded by uncertainty. “In the week leading up a whole bunch of big stadium-type shows were getting cancelled,” explains founding member Dan Whitford. “We were really looking forward to it being long-time, die-hard fans of New Order, and we were thinking, ‘is this thing going to be taken away from us at the last minute by whatever this Covid thing is.’”
Melbourne went into its first lockdown two weeks after the show took place. “Thankfully it did happen in the end, but it was obviously a weird backdrop,” says Whitford. “This amazing gig that you’ve always dreamed about doing and the world is about to fall into a big hole.”
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Whitford now resides in Melbourne again, after living in Copenhagen for a few years. The New Order show was the last time Cut Copy played until Colorado earlier this year. “It was the longest time we’ve gone without playing a show, certainly since the band started,” says Whitford. “We basically hadn’t seen each other at all in the same place because two of the guys live in the States in different cities.”
“We’ve been separated for all that time physically, and unable to do shows, so it was strange having that big break and finally getting back into it. Thankfully this year we’ve had a bunch of shows, and I feel like we’ve gotten back on the horse.”
Even finding time to catch up digitally was proving difficult for the band. “When I was living in Copenhagen it was getting a bit ridiculous because it meant that every single person was in a different time zone,” laughs Whitford. “[With] the guys in the States, one is on the East Coast and one is on the West Coast, so it was a nightmare ever trying to get on the phone together or schedule anything. Usually, there would be one person who would get shafted in the time slot and it would tend to be me, so I was kind of hating that aspect of it.”
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Despite this, Whitford loved other challenges of living abroad. “I moved from a place where I had lived all my life and knew loads of people, [where] I was a real part of the local music scene and was connected with a lot of musicians and other like-minded people,” he says. “Then moving to Copenhagen, where I basically knew no one, I had to reinvent from scratch and go in there not really knowing anything about what was going on as far as music goes.”
“As a creative person, I think you’re very receptive to the environment you make music in. For me, it definitely had an impact and I felt like I just started listening to different music, making different music, and getting excited about different things.”
Copenhagen’s cold winters had an impact on the band’s previous record, 2020’s Freeze, Melt, which is their most ambient record to date. “That direction we’ve dipped in and out of it over the years, and certainly had parts of records that hinted at that,” explains Whitford. The band is looking forward to performing the new songs live. “That was one of the frustrations during all the lockdowns, we had this new album out and we were really looking forward to performing it, so it’s nice to finally get to, even though it’s a little after the fact.”
Cut Copy started as a solo project for Whitford in 2001. “I had a student radio show and started dabbling in DJing, and it was the logical next step to try and think about making music,” he says. “The music that I was excited by [was] electronic stuff and also indie punk music.”
Whitford had never studied music or learnt an instrument before starting the band. “I was very much fiddling my way through it and that’s why it slowly evolved,” he explains. “It started out just being me sampling [which] was my entry point into being able to make music. You can take bits from old records and put them together, and maybe get a drum machine and put a beat on it, and that turns into your own thing.”
It was when Whitford’s friends, Tim Hoey on guitar and Mitchell Scott on drums (bassist Bennet Foddy was later replaced by Ben Browning), wanted to jam together after a few years the band took shape. “Working with friends… on some the electronic sketches that I’d worked on, combined with some guitar sounds and other things… it felt like something a bit more unique,” says Whitford. “That was the blueprint for Cut Copy in the beginning, and it’s gone from there.”
Having been around for more than two decades, the band have been able to play many festivals around the world, however, they still consider a local one the best. “We always talk about Meredith and Golden Plains as being our absolute favourite,” says Whitford. “I’m not just saying it because it’s Beat Magazine,” he laughs.
“We’ve definitely been fortunate to be part of it over a long period. It’s a really unique event… the energy of it, the small-scale aspects of it, and also just the way they curate awesome line-ups each time. It just feels really special and it’s one we hold up there with any festival.”
Whitford says to expect new music from the band soon. “It’s a bit more challenging with people based in different countries, but we’re trying to see if we can meet up, or work remotely to get some of these songs finished,” he says. “Even though the pandemic stopped us from doing a whole lot of stuff, I did spend a lot of time writing, so there’s a whole bunch of material there.”
A lot has changed since March 2020, but Cut Copy continue to play in front of packed audiences. Their first show in Melbourne since then at the newly renovated Northcote Theatre has already sold out. “Because we play in Australia, and Melbourne in particular, so infrequently, it’s hard to know if people are hanging to see us play,” says Whitford. “We’re chuffed that it’s sold out, and just generally excited for the show now. At least two of us in the band live in that vicinity, so it’s like a home crowd suburb-wise as well, so it should be pretty fun.”
Cut Copy are playing Northcote Theatre on December 16. Check out all the latest gigs happening at Northcote Theatre here.
This article was made in partnership with Northcote Theatre.
