Returning to the country for a slew of festival and sideshow dates in support of their sophomore album Beacon, Northern Irish trio Two Door Cinema Club took to Melbourne’s Festival Hall on Saturday night.
The night began with The Jungle Giants and The Vaccines warming up the crowd, who were so young, they could have been mistaken for a high school excursion group.
Brisbane four-piece and Triple J Unearthed favourites, The Jungle Giants were clearly in awe of the fact that they were not only playing to their biggest crowd yet, but also with The Vaccines and their “musical influences;” Two Door Cinema Club.
Opening with “No One Needs To Know” the audience instantly warmed to the four-piece – an amazing reception for a relatively new band. The half hour set was jam packed with great harmonies between lead singer, Sam Hales and bassist Andrew Dooris; and catchy guitar hooks from Cesira Aitken, matched with intense drums from Keelan Bijiker.
“If you feel like having a dance in this one, then don’t be shy,” Hales told the bouncing crowd before launching into their radio hit “Mr Polite” – the set’s highlight, along with their final track “She’s A Riot”. The feedback from the crowd was impressive – something the band themselves should be proud of.
Taking the stage shortly after were London four-piece The Vaccines. No strangers to Australia, having played Splendour in the Grass, Big Day Out, and Falls Festival in the past eighteen months, the band began with “No Hope”, the opening track from their sophomore album Come Of Age.
It is obvious from watching their audience, that it is impossible to stand still during The Vaccines – with tracks such as “Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)”, “Teenage Icon” and “Wetsuit” being obvious examples of just how easily it is to enjoy their Ramones-esque tunes.
Slowing down the pace mid-set for “Aftershave Ocean”, the energy returned during the following “Ghost Town”, (with its sweet bass line from Árni Hjörvar).
Lead singer Justin Young bounced around the stage and gladly interacted with fans in between tracks. “She didn’t come back… she just got engaged,” he tells after their hit “If You Wanna” and replying to one member of the audience whom alerted him to the fact that his fly was undone: “No, it’s actually just broken!”
Clearly two albums haven’t generated enough profit for a new pair of trousers yet…
The closing number was an obvious choice, as their breakout track “Norgaard” had the energy at an all-time high – its infectious, crazed beat the highlight of their set.
Appearing onstage just after 9.30pm, Two Door Cinema Club launched straight into the fast paced “Sleep Alone”, but it was the second track, “Undercover Martyn” that got the crowd cheering so loudly that the song’s introduction was almost inaudible.
Having their familiar hit so early in the set was a wise choice and a welcome surprise for fans that expected to have to wait longer to hear their favourite tune.
Highlights of the night included “Pyramid” which has a ridiculously catchy guitar riff courtesy of Sam Halliday, and a great intro that saw the entire venue clicking – making it feel as if you had momentarily joined a scat band.
Halliday himself is an impressive guitarist, making such precise finger work look effortless as he confidently danced like his legs were made of rubber.
“Wake Up” and “I Can Talk” also went down a treat, but it was when giant white balloons were released during the last track “Eat That Up, It’s Good For You” that the energy was at its highest. As the balloons bounced all over the stage it looked like the band were in a giant bubble bath.
Not one member of the crowd stood still during the set and even the security guards were dancing. However, an irritating aspect of the three performances was the fact that the vocals needed a boost, with all three bands sounding muffled. Considering that all three lead singers have near-perfect diction, this was really quite noticeable and disappointing.
Returning with three more songs for their encore, Two Door bassist Kevin Baird simply asked “Want some more?” before launching into “Someday”.
Thanking their support acts, Baird – who was the most talkative out of the reserved bunch- exclaimed that he couldn’t believe it had been two years since their last tour – sentiments repeated by lead singer Alex Trimble later as he added; “We have such fond memories and you guys did not disappoint – this has been fucking incredible!’
Finishing the night with “What You Know”, the crowd was left buzzing and whilst they filed out of the venue, the Hall & Oates classic “You Make My Dreams Come True” played.
An apt choice, as by just looking at the faces of many audience members, their dream of seeing their favourite band had just come true.
View the photo gallery of Two Door Cinema Club’s sideshow at Festival Hall here.
