“Liverpool, it’s been a while!” admits Alex Trimble, looking out at a packed Arts Club with a sly smirk on his face. The room doesn’t stop cheering; three songs pass before he steps forward to take the mic and manages to get a word in edgeways.
Alex is right – it has been a while. The last time the trio from Northern Ireland played here was at Mountford Hall back in February 2017; a sold-out gig that I (and pretty much every other teenager I knew at the time) went to. Even all these years later, if Two Door Cinema Club comes up in conversation and I mention that I went to the gig, the response is almost always “me too!”
The nostalgia didn’t end there. From the opening riff of ‘This Is The Life’, it was suddenly 2012 again – I was 14, finding TDCC and immediately adding their songs to playlists already filled with the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club, Circa Waves and The Wombats. Looking around the room, it was funny to think that a lot of people probably had a very similar experience.
Despite having dominated the indie scene for the last ten years or so, bands like TDCC might be concerned about being left in the 2010s. How do you keep producing new music when your audiences just want to hear your old stuff? To some extent TDCC caved to that fear on Thursday, with the majority of their setlist being old favourites taken from Tourist History and Beacon. It’s no surprise that the atmosphere during tracks like ‘Undercover Martyn’, ‘What You Know’ and ‘Changing of the Seasons’ was incredible, with Alex, Kevin and Sam facing a room that could sing all of their lyrics right back at them without hesitation. The newer tracks were well-received, but you could tell which were from albums post-Gameshow based on noise level alone. Although saying that, two people next to me didn’t stop shouting for ‘Sure Enough’, the band’s latest single. So if that is anything to go by, it doesn’t seem like they have much to worry about.
There was something very special about seeing them at a venue like the Arts Club. Seeing the euphoric ‘Sun’ – one of my favourite TDCC tracks – live in a room that size was surreal. With the room packed to the rafters, it became very hot and very loud very quickly; a classic indie gig experience.
Finishing with the much-loved ‘Something Good Can Work’, TDCC walked offstage to the sounds of an ecstatic Liverpool crowd and with the knowledge that they’d do it all again tomorrow. The original Liverpool date was actually 27th October, but it quickly sold out and they added another. I’m very glad they did! It was such a fun time and I got the train home with lots of other very tired but very happy faces.
Two Door Cinema Club are indie giants with a knack for creating upbeat, serotonin-filled tunes to dance and shout along to – whether you’ve only just found them or you’re a member of their loyal fanbase, you’ll have a good time.
Review by: Ayla Hewitt
Follow Ayla on Insta: @aylagoestogigs @aylaratesalbums
