The set list is taped to the ground beside three microphones with each member of the band armed with a glass of water, a pint of Guinness and a towel.
The stage radiates red as the band walks on, cool as cucumbers, no gimmicks, no over the top entrance, they just take their place behind their microphones. They pick up their instruments and without as much as a hello they begin to play the opening notes to “Talk”.
Two Door Cinema Club (TDCC) played in the Olympia Theatre on Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th of October. The two sold out Dublin concerts were part of their 2019/2020 tour where they debuted their new album “False Alarm” that was released on the June 21st, 2019.
TDCC are a Northern Irish band that consists of Alex Trimble, (lead vocals, guitar) Sam Halliday (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Kevin Baird (bass, synths, backing vocals). The band was formed in 2007 and has been a hit in Ireland and abroad since then.
The three men took the stage wearing their typical unusual outfits. Trimble wore an electric blue suit with a mustard polo neck underneath, he topped the look off with white high-top Converse.
Trimble was his usual eccentric, very cool self, but a smile often interrupted his stern, serious face when he became overwhelmed by the support in the crowd.
The other two wore matching grey slacks with white polo shirts and white runners, reminiscent of two schoolboys. The stage was constantly filled with colour, reds, blues, purples and oranges continuously flashed; it certainly wasn’t for the faint of heart or those sensitive to lights.
The atmosphere at the concert was electric. From the first song to the last, it was clear the audience were true fans, they sang every word to every song.
It was predominately a young crowd with the exception of what looked like one of the band’s Granny sitting in the boxes. She looked as though she thoroughly enjoyed the concert.
It seemed that standing was the best ticket you could’ve gotten, as apart from the last song it was rare to see all the seated audience standing up and dancing.
The standing audience didn’t stop from the first song, they were jumping, pushing and dancing. The air was filled with hands pumping, phones recording and at one stage a pair of knickers flying that failed to reach the stage.
“The Wha” and “Pillow Queens” opened the show for TDCC, both of whom are Irish bands. They both put on impressive performances, especially “The Wha” whose four members are only 18-years-old.
The acts were slightly hard to hear, the bass was louder than the singers which often meant you couldn’t hear the lyrics, but the songs were enjoyable all the same. There was a concern that the same issues would arise with TDCC, but their sound was flawless.
The men seemed delighted with the reaction of the crowd. Halliday said “Dublin is the place to be on a Monday night. This is so much fun, like without you guys, it’s just us playing some songs, so you’ve really made it tonight.”
Trimble remarked that Dublin was his favourite city to play in and jokingly told the audience to “not tell Belfast.”
TDCC closed the show with “Sun”, arguably one of their best songs. The crowd went absolutely wild. It seemed that people put their phones away and just threw themselves into the moment. The song was a perfect way to end an incredible show.
You could say a Two Door Cinema Club concert is “Satisfaction Guaranteed”.
Aoife McMahon
Image Credit: Aoife McMahon