Two Door Cinema Club - NME Awards Tour Manchester 2012

Squashed into Academy One, I begin to understand what all the fuss is about with this band. I stand and watch a weird mixture of support bands before the Bangor boy's enter the stage. As part of the NME tour, I am forced to stand through three bands I have never listened to, but the band named 'Tribes' certainly impressed me and the rest of the crowd. I won't mention the other two support acts, for the simple reason that they aren't worth mentioning. Maybe it would've been a better idea to let 'Tribes' be the sole support act and whip the crowd up before the headliner's set. However, for a band who look completely innocent, Two Door Cinema Club certainly got people excited and expecting big things.

This is instantly shown with opener ‘Cigarettes In The Theatre’ as the crowd goes mental to the sound of synthesized trumpets and guitar melodies. It’s all very slick, quick and transforms into one of the best openings to a gig I've ever witnessed. They’re not exactly blessed with the gift of the gab though. They do struggle to stop our attention drifting after the end of each song. Unlike bands such as 'Tribes', 'Arctic Monkeys', or 'Miles Kane', they lack a stage presence that is only highlighted when they aren't playing. Despite this, I cannot judge Two Door Cinema Club's performance based just on the lack of banter, witty remarks, or audience participation. 

To be honest I get too involved with watching older drunk men in front of me than noticing the boy's in between songs but the set does swing from incredible high points to low ones. ‘Something Good Can Work’ is arguably as perfect as indie-pop gets, combining the naivety and energy of bands that have emerged around the same time as them but also previous indie acts that have broke through in past years. However this level is not maintained throughout the set. I can't help but cut them a bit of slack for this. They are still incredibly young, and are nearing the end of a massive tour off the back of just one debut album. So credit where credit is due. ‘I Can Talk’ is a real crowd pleaser and ‘What You Know’ has the crowd singing along to every single word . 

As the set progresses, it becomes obvious that this band have adopted the ‘throw it all in, mix it up and see what happens’ theory that has delivered pop brilliance as well as disaster in the past. There is nothing outwardly special about this performance and they are still just a band with some brilliant tunes. They keep it simple but interesting and try to maintain a high tempo.  There is clearly a lot of potential for this band. They need to discover that quickly but once they do, Two Door Cinema Club will go on to achieve big things. 


8/10