BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – Nearly two years ago, I went to see the band Phoenix perform at Boston’s Agganis Arena. What I remember most from that night, however, is not the band’s playlist, or the members’ sexy French accents, but rather my discovery of their opening band – Two Door Cinema Club.
Three weeks ago, on September 30, I found myself at the House of Blues – one of Boston’s most intimate performing venues – waiting impatiently for the members of Two Door Cinema Club to begin their show. Finally, the stage lit up, and three quirky (yet confident) figures silently entered in front of a cheering audience. Leading in with a dramatic drum roll, the band immediately launched into their song “Sleep Alone,” the upbeat, leading single of their new album Beacon. After shouting a quick “Hello, Boston!” in their distinctive Northern Irish accents, the members of Two Door Cinema Club threw the crowd into a frenzy with their older and better-known song “Undercover Martyn.” Lead guitarist Sam Halliday’s electro-pop melodies, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alex Trimble’s punk-inspired riffs, and Kevin Baird’s groovy bassline kept the fans dancing throughout the three-minute long-song.
Giving the audience a chance to catch its breath, the band then shifted to a few low-key pieces, such as their new songs “Wake Up” and “Sun,” in which Alex is featured on the piano for the first time. The tempo of the show soon picked up again, with classic TDDC songs “I Can Talk” and “Costume Party.” All three band members remained on-stage for the entire show, captivating the audience by skillfully dancing their fingers across their instruments, and bobbing their heads freely to their catchy beats.
When the end of the show left the audience screaming for more, the band obliged by re-taking the stage for an encore, which they opened with their song “Someday,” a piece about restlessness and motivation. “There is no time for wasting any time,” they insisted, “This is the end of the line, the definite sign of what we will be, someday.” They then launched into “Come Back Home,” an appropriate song for the end of the show, and wrapped up their gig with the catchy “What You Know.” As Alex withheld his vocals, the fans themselves sang the chorus to the band, “I can tell just what you want; you don’t want to be alone, you don’t want to be aloooone.” And we didn’t want to be alone; we wanted to stay in that moment with TDCC forever.
The set list Two Door Cinema Club played that night contained a good balance of both their old and newer albums – it showcased the maturation of the band’s sound, while still retaining some of the young, light-hearted flair from the days of their first album, Tourist History. The members of TDCC were great performers when I first saw them back in October of 2010, but were even better this September. The night was a “smashing time”, as Alex put it, and for two nostalgic hours, the show let me revert back to the 19-year-old I was the first time I saw the band perform.