It's April 20 in Dallas, Texas. A momentous day in musical history for sure, as the town had been host to a large number of bands making their way back from Coachella last weekend. While almost every venue in the city had show happening, the Granada Theater easily had the best line up: Cut Copy, Foals, Holy Ghost, and Naked and Famous. A four-group bill is pretty uncommon, but for this Wednesday, two tours combined for one of the biggest shows in recent history (and sadly bumping Freelance Whales to a different venue). It's like a mini festival for those who didn't feel like making the trek Indio, California.

Starting off the show, straight off the plane from New Zealand, Naked and Famous warmed up the surprisingly large early crowd. Saving their hit single "Young Blood" for last, they went through the majority of their set with practiced ease.

The secondary openers were Holy Ghost from Brooklyn, NY. While normally a DJ duo, the band had a full group blaring out rhythmic Chromeo-esque electronic ballads to a great light show. Very much worth the wait from technical difficulties for this show. Rather than a wall of synthesizers, the group mixed up their live instrumentation by adding synth-sounding guitars and iPads. The crowd went wild for their hit “Hold On.” They closed the set by absolutely destroying the audience in the best way possible.

Once the crowd had been warmed up to the point of dancing, it was time for Foals. These boys from England slowed things down a bit but brought just as much energy to the stage. The guitars playing in unison coupled with lead singer Yannis Phillippakis' haunting and at times sparse lyrics filled the venue with the atmosphere that is Foals. Playing classic favorites like “Cassius” and new hits “Spanish Sahara” and “Total Life Forever” had the crowd singing along and wanting more. Unfortunately, the downside of having so many great bands together is much shorter set times. Phillippakis vented this frustration by diving into the audience, guitar and all, for their finale. While continuing to play (thank you wireless receivers) he made his way through the Granada, up to the balcony where the music ended when someone grabbed his legs for fear of him falling. I couldn't think of a better way to escape a stage which may have been described as “like sitting in a tiny airplane next to a large person.”

Onto the headliner, Cut Copy. These Australian dance behemoths filled the stage with more lights and sound than the venue could handle, literally. They had a small generator out back just for the extra juice needed for this magical musical light show. The band entered through a large door center stage, which later doubled as a screen for some brilliant visuals. Lead man Dan Whitford really puts together a show, and his background as a DJ shines through. As inventive as the production is, the real show are the ever energetic band members, who by the end of the first few songs are drenched in sweat, be it from the heat of the strobe lamps or the activity on such a packed stage. It was quite impossible to see if anyone wasn't dancing when Cut Copy played tracks from their hit album In Ghost Colors as the entire audience was jumping in a chaotic mass. Finishing up the set was an encore of “Need You Now” and “Out There On The Ice” with cheers for more.

It was clear to see that the band left a lasting impression on the now exhausted crowed as the finished. With lights and music like that, its guaranteed that the audience will only have these Aussies on their mind for quite some time.

Words by Madelene Smith.