New Old Romantics

Going solely by the tunes on Cut Copy’s new disc, In Ghost Colours, you’d swear the Aussie trio dresses in frilly shirts, gravity-defying hairdos, and other accoutrements of the ’80s New Romantic period. But no, they’re just three shaggy-lookin’ dudes fervently merging the synth-pop sounds of the Human League, New Order, and OMD with the delicate vocals and airy guitars of Prefab Sprout and the Dream Academy. The group occasionally sounds like the parts of the Pretty in Pink soundtrack you fast-forwarded through to get to the Smiths tune, but its music can be rather charming live. Find out for yourself when Cut Copy performs on Sunday, Oct. 5, at Mezzanine at 8 p.m. The show is sold out; call 625-8880 or visit www.mezzaninesf.com. — Michael Alan Goldberg
Sun., Oct. 5, 8 p.m., 2008