Two Door Cinema Club Live [Review]

19:05, and we were at the back of a queue of excitable youths itching to get the best seat in the house at the Cambridge Corn Exchange. A girl in front, Snapchatting the time away, enthusiastically squealed about the band she's about to see's very own filter. Kind of ironic, I thought; in an hour or two, the evening's headliners were to showcase an album laced with messages about our infatuation with media. As we shuffled ever closer, the neon-lit poster of the Northern Irish trio came into view. Just the way the bluish glow surrounded the lengthy locks of Alex Trimble seemed to promise a night of spectacular lights and headbanging. Two Door Cinema Club had arrived.

Post the equally entertaining sets of Anteros and Sundara Karma, the stage blacked out before welcoming Alex, Sam and Kevin to stage with blinding white lights. The instantly recognisable entrance to their debut's opener Cigarettes in the Theatre blared from the speakers, spurring fierce guitar playing and an energetic stage presence. The three jumped around just as much as those in the audience. Cigarettes quickly transitioned into more of their older hits: the spirited Undercover Martyn and bouncy This is the Life just to name a couple. 

I was surprised at how much they did focus on their previous tunes, despite releasing a successful third LP, Gameshow, in October 2016. Trimble did make a point about their four-year hiatus, repeatedly thanking the audience for their continued support. Maybe playing their older tracks was a way of acknowledging the fan's commitment, or consolidating who they are: even after the hiatus and the differing sound they exhibited on Gameshow, they are still the same enjoyable indie rock trio. Nonetheless, Gameshow's tracks were interspersed throughout the set list. The lead single Are We Ready? (Wreck) was a definite crowd-pleaser in its techno progressions, while the synth ballad Invincible, played by Trimble on his own, exposed an unexplored layer to Two Door's usually punchy pop catalogue. The electronic/eighties theme that ran through Gameshow's tracklist was not lost live, as the dizzying distortions of Lavender were just as effective, while Bad Decisions' Bee Gee's-esque high notes were conquered without any sign of auto-tune. As for their pre-2016 repertoire, Tourist History and Beacon's material seemed all the more punchy on stage. The set list itself could've been better. At lot of their similar-sounding numbers were played one after the other, when they could've broken them up with some of their newer tunes, or put a different spin on the older ones. 

One big plus point of the concert was the light show. Alongside the electrifying strobe lights, the boys were backed by seven illuminated bricks. During each song, something different was projected onto them that reflected the nature of the track, all joining together at points to display bigger pictures. It was an interesting and clever route: during some songs it was simply a light display developing alongside the music, but during others - such as Sun - videos were cast onto the screen, allowing the audience not just to listen to the song, but watch it as well. 

Two Door Cinema Club left the second night of their tour on the familiar notes of What You Know. An apt conclusion: closing with their biggest hit, leaving an undertone of much more to come. And after a night of relentless fun, let's hope it comes soon.