Two Door Cinema Club - Great Hall, Cardiff University - 31st January 2013 (Live Review)
Wednesday, 06 February 2013
Written by Matt Turner
After seeing Two Door Cinema Club destroy Reading Festival this summer and sell out Cardiff Great Hall in a matter of days, it was only fair for my expectations to be sky high. Two Door Cinema Club's rise to fame has signalled to other bands that 'making it' in an overcrowded indie scene can still be done. All of the bands had something quirky and different to offer, and it's safe to say that none of the bands disappointed either.
With the queue so long and a tight schedule for the bands, I only got into the venue for the latter half of Swim Deep's set. Describing their genre as “FEEL GOOD”, it is clear to see the potential that Swim Deep have. The boys from Birmingham put on a good show and managed to win over the majority of the crowd for the last few songs. After having to upgrade venues for their headline tour in February, it's safe to say that you will be hearing more of these lads in the future.
Next up; Bastille. To anybody making their way through the venue doors, it would have sounded like they were the headline band. Cardiff erupted as the South London lads came on the stage and the whole crowd were getting involved. A personal highlight was 'Bad Blood', with vocalist Dan Smith smashing every note to perfection. Bastille are on the rise and they are only going to get bigger, a stunning performance from these boys, who's headline show in Cardiff sold out soon after they left the stage. After blitzing through 'Flaws' and their upcoming single 'Pompeii', it was evident that Two Door Cinema Club had a lot to live up to.
After a brief break, Two Door Cinema Club took to the stage. I've always gone by the rule that when the crowd sings along to your guitar riffs, you know that you've 'made it'. By my reckoning, Two Door Cinema Club have most definitely hit the big time. After entering to 'Sleep Alone', followed up with 'Undercover Martyn' - the crowd exploded into a frenzy. After a new album release, bands always have a dilemma of how much of the new material to include, but with an equal mixture of songs from 'Tourist History' and latest album 'Beacon' – Two Door live up to the incredibly high expectations set upon them. Playing a 19 song set would be tiring for any musician, but you couldn't tell as the entire band provided a fantastic stage present throughout the gigantic set. The crowd didn't look like tiring either, besides a brief lapse on my behalf when despite being 6”5 and relatively fit, I didn't feel like standing up anymore – so I got on my friends shoulders and started going absolutely mental (I apologise to anyone who was unlucky enough to be behind me at that point).
Providing perfect sing along opportunities, Two Door Cinema Club created a fantastic atmosphere in the Great Hall and that atmosphere stayed for the entire concert. After reeling through old and new songs such as 'I Can Talk', 'Sun' and 'Next Year' – Two Door exit the stage, only to enter again to a rowdy encore chant of “we love you Two Door, we do!” (once again, apologies for that). Firing huge balloons left, right and centre upon arrival, TDCC truly typified the party atmosphere which was in the venue since the start of the night. With a few unexpected mosh pits forming, the boys from Northern Ireland finished on 'What You Know' and left the entire crowd absolutely shattered. A mammoth set from a mammoth band, which lived up to incredibly high expectations.
Thu February 7th 2013 - O2 Academy Leeds, Leeds
Fri February 8th 2013 - O2 Academy Brixton, London
Thu April 25th 2013 - Edinburgh Corn Exchange, Edinburgh
Fri April 26th 2013 - Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
Sat April 27th 2013 - Alexandra Palace, London
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With the queue so long and a tight schedule for the bands, I only got into the venue for the latter half of Swim Deep's set. Describing their genre as “FEEL GOOD”, it is clear to see the potential that Swim Deep have. The boys from Birmingham put on a good show and managed to win over the majority of the crowd for the last few songs. After having to upgrade venues for their headline tour in February, it's safe to say that you will be hearing more of these lads in the future.
