Live Report: Two Door Cinema Club at Iveagh Gardens

Before seeing Two Door Cinema Club at the Iveagh Gardens yesterday, some pressing thoughts loomed.

Despite their latest album, 2022's Keep On Smiling, being a fantastically synth-driven and experimental piece of work, it hadn't garnered the same commercial success or broad popularity as earlier records.

This is to no fault of the project itself, and is more a testament to the sheer impact of their debut album Tourist History  upon its release back in 2010.

Nonetheless, this posed the question- would the Northern Irish indie legends sideline their classic hits to push the newer offering? And more importantly, does the band still hold the same charm and relevance in the current music scene?

Judging by the number of fresh faces in H&M Hawaiian shirts making the short migration from Keaven’s Port Wetherspoons to the Iveagh Gardens, it was clear that Two Door Cinema Club are still drawing interest from the youth like they did when their seminal debut came out thirteen years ago.

Two Door Cinema Club at Iveagh Gardens. Thursday 20th of July 2023. Copyright Cat Gundry-Beck.

An air of nostalgic anticipation began to saturate the Georgian streets during what was – despite the poncho salesman’s best efforts to convince otherwise- an uncharacteristically pleasant evening in Dublin.

Support act and hometown heroine Lucy McWilliams showed off her ever-growing stage presence, getting the crowd going with an emotive indie rock set.

As the main act came out and took their places behind their signature crimson coloured keyboard and mic stands, any trepidation of them not giving the oldies a run out was smashed to pieces.

In a show of tacit understanding for the audience's insatiable appetite for their early work, the band opened with the infectious 'This is The Life,'  from their 2010 debut album, Tourist History.

It was evident straight away that Two Door Cinema Club are a band that make people feel very happy. They also make them dance. This is the life indeed.

Two Door Cinema Club at Iveagh Gardens. Thursday 20th of July 2023. Copyright Cat Gundry-Beck.

There was no time to rest as the band launched headfirst into another fan favourite, ‘I Can Talk’ from the same album, as Sam Halliday’s screeching guitar lines sent limbs and Elfbars flying.

The Bangor trio then decided to dip into their 2016 album Gameshow, with the funk infused ‘Are We Ready Yet (Wreck)?’ well and truly getting the synovial fluid flowing if it wasn’t already.

However, it was the performance of 'Undercover Martyn' that truly set the tone for the evening. The crowd could have been heard from Sandymount Strand when Alex Trimble stepped back to let the audience belt out the first verse on their own.

The heart-thumping momentum of the earlier performances would have given even the Duracell bunny a stich.  The band let the crowd catch their collective breath with the slower ( by their standards) tracks, 'Come Back Home' and the electro-disco tinted 'Talk'.

Their biggest hit ‘What you know’ made its customary blissful appearance before the concert came to a triumphant conclusion with fan favourites 'Cigarettes in the Theatre', 'Sun', and 'Sleep Alone'. The concluding act was the enduring anthem 'Something Good Can Work'.

By this juncture, the crowd's chorus of 'oohs' had lost a touch of their tunefulness, likely attributed to the intense workout their vocal cords had endured throughout the night.

Two Door Cinema Club at Iveagh Gardens. Thursday 20th of July 2023. Copyright Cat Gundry-Beck.

As the nostalgia wore off there was a realisation that the band performed very little from their latest album. In fact, only two songs from Keep On Smiling made an appearance, flipping any pre-gig concerns on their head.

This was bittersweet. I first heard Two Door Cinema Club as a child when they appeared on the soundtrack of a FIFA videogame, the first time my underdeveloped brain realised music extended beyond the realms of repetitive rush hour radio.

Reliving each of the ten songs from Tourist History, along with six tracks from their sophomore Beacon, was as special as much as it was sentimental.

On the other hand, I was interested to see how the songs from Keep On Smiling would be brought to life. 'Wonderful Life,' the lead single from the album, was well-received by the audience, indicating the band's ability to churn out dance-inducing anthems isn’t going anywhere soon.

Despite this nit-pickiest of disappointments, the night ultimately belonged to the fans, who radiated an electrifying energy that was only matched by the band's vigorous performance and excellent musicianship.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, a shared hope hung in the air – “I’ll be home for next year darling”, sings Alex Trimble. You better be. Purple suit and all.

You can catch more photos of the gig here.