Two Door Cinema Club aren’t a household name, but they could be – and soon. This up-and-coming Irish trio have already amassed a considerable following across the ocean and could very well become the next big indie-pop outfit to hit the States.
They drew a modest but interested crowd to the Schine Underground on Tuesday night for the second concert of University Union’s Bandersnatch series. Audience members didn’t always know how to respond to the wave of sound that Two Door delivered, but that didn’t stop them from getting wild.
The band itself seems to have mastered the art of the three-minute indie-pop explosion. One cannot help but be swept up by the feel-good sensation of tracks like "This is the Life," where the band sings the title line over and over against a potent, electric rock background. Their hit songs, "Something Good Can Work," and "Cigarettes In The Theatre" were efficiently performed, and the amount of time they spent between them was minimal. As a result, the overall experience was a non-stop, dynamic arrangement of danceable chaos.
Granted, you don't have to look hard to find bands that sound similar to Two Door Cinema Club. This is a genre that has been done to death, and someone who's not familiar with their work may confuse the band with a number of other performers when listening to their album, Tourist History. Bloc Party, Editors and the Futureheads are clear inspirations. In fact, the opening of the Two Door song "I Can Talk" sounds so similar to Futureheads' "Hounds of Love" that you really can't call it a coincidence.
But while Tourist History sometimes straddles the line between consistent and monotonous, their live show was a completely different story. The use of an actual drummer as opposed to a drum machine, as well as the quality of lead singer Alex Trimble's voice during the live performance, made it a much superior experience. To add to the intensity, bassist Kevin Baird and lead guitarist Sam Halliday made sure to use all the space available to them on stage.
Lack of familiarity hindered the audience's connection with the band – a consequence of Two Door’s obscurity in the States. Fans were more than willing to dance along, but the group's songs clearly encourage audience sing-a-longs and the audience didn’t know the songs well enough for the full effect to take place. Toward the end of the song "Do You Want It All," the band let the music die out while continuing to sing the lyric, "all because you want to be all.” While a few people joined in, one can only imagine the roaring responses the band receives when pulling a similar stunt in Ireland.
But Two Door Cinema Club are still introducing themselves to the United States, and they still have plenty of time to get those sing-a-longs going. The group ended the show with a sensational performance of "I Can Talk," which – with its uplifting guitar riffs and fast-paced delivery -- captured everything that's good about Two Door’s music. If they continue playing shows like this, and they continue to work on developing a more original sound, then there's nothing stopping them from making an international name.
