The Forum once again sold out when our favourite indie-rock-pop boys, Two Door Cinema Club, came to visit. Their official reason may have been to celebrate their newly dropped fourth album, False Alarm, but we all know the truth – they missed us!
It’s been two years since they last visited and this time, Lastlings opened for them. Sibling duo Amy and Josh Dowdle gave us a taste of electronic pop, with layered choruses and deep beats. We love our siblings – Angus and Julia Stone, Broods – and there’s no doubt that Lastlings is just as strong. Their ability to combine delicacy and roughness with catchy lyrics had the crowd loosening up in time for Two Door Cinema Club to come on stage.
As with all great shows, the stage went black and the crowd cheered. Yet what sets apart TWCC is their command of both the stage and visuals. Prior to them entering, a count-down began, but at zero, it displayed an error message – false alarm indeed! After a moment of pause, the screen displayed ‘ARE YOU READY?’. The crowd responded with a hefty yes and the boys came on: Sam Halliday (bass) and Kevin Baird (drums) entered first, and when Alex Trimble (vocals) came on stage, the entertainment once again kicked off.
The band played songs like ‘Dirty Air’, ‘Talk’, ‘I Can Talk’ and ‘Satellite’, to name a few, alongside which they played crowd favourites, including ‘Changing of the Seasons’, ‘What You Know’ and ‘Undercover Martyn’ – however it’s worth noting that they performed rather than played. For each song, matching visuals were provided, ranging from rich red spotlights to flashing images on the screen behind them. Trimble truly commanded the stage, and whether that involved dancing or simply motioning as he sung, all his movements were effortless. On top of that, we were graced with incredible solo instrumentals, with both guitar and drums being showcased in a way that complimented the lyrical aspects of songs without halting the mood of the crowd.
It’s worth noting that throughout the entirety of the night, the spirit of the Forum was high. People were excited to see the band play and whether it was with Lastlings, TDCC or each-other, they were engaged, dancing and clapping and taking videos of the performance. The crowd was mixed in terms of age – there were younger girls making hearts with their hands in hopes the band would see, and on the other side of the spectrum, there were older fans getting their groove on in the middle of the dancefloor.
There’s no surprise as to why Two Door Cinema Club is a staple favourite on the Australian music landscape. For a night, they give us all an opportunity to put on our dancing shoes and let the lights and smooth vocals put a smile on our faces.
Reviewed by Daniela Koulikov
Forum, Melbourne
Thursday, November 21
Photo by Joshua Braybrook, from Grapevine
