Live Review: Two Door Cinema Club - Victoria Warehouse, Manchester 08/10/2019
Two Door Cinema Club finally returned to Manchester after two years to take residence in Victoria Warehouse for two sold out shows. On Monday night, we headed down to the venue to catch their extensive set of the band’s greatest hits, including some from their most recent release, ‘False Alarm’.
Opening up for the night were Fuzzy Sun, an up and coming band from Stockport. After a string of festival sets this summer, it was great to see them in their home city. Frontman Kyle Ross flipped his long hair back and forth and jumped with his other bandmates all around the stage, playing their most well-known songs such as ‘Want Love’ and ‘Heavy’.
On next were Sports Team, arguably one of the most exciting bands of the moment and known for always providing an eccentric performance. As always, my personal favourite member of Sports Team, percussionist Ben Mac, stood wearing his sunglasses while playing his tambourine. At times, he would walk around the stage randomly, much to the amusement of his other bandmates. This, combined with the erratic dancing and shouting to the crowd by frontman Alex Rice, is what makes Sports Team so special, along with their best tracks ‘Here It Comes Again’ and ‘M5’.
Screams filled the venue as Two Door Cinema Club entered the stage, with the drummer starting the beat of ‘Talk’ in anticipation of lead member Alex Trimble walking out in front of the crowd. The visuals at their shows are consistently incredible, from the words that appeared onscreen before their set, to the dazzling lights and array of colours that fill the stage during every song. It did not take long before the audience were jumping up and down, as next up was the all-time banger ‘Undercover Martyn’.
Trimble raised a glass of white wine to his crowd, exclaiming ‘Manchester, it’s been a while!’. He must also be commended for his stage presence, standing against the colourful background and capturing the crowd with his moves. Also on the set list was ‘I Can Talk’, ‘Satellite’ and ‘Something Good Can Work’, making sure the audience were provided with not only their newest tracks, but the old favourites as well. There was pits galore for the infectious ‘What You Know’ and ‘Someday’, proving that even after their hiatus, Two Door Cinema Club are as loved as ever.
For ‘Eat Up It’s Good for You’, the band introduced the song by saying that ‘this was the song that people say they have been listening to since they were 15’. The stage presence of the whole band was exacerbated by the two guitarists interacting with each other, as Trimble strode around the stage with his microphone. Fans graced each other’s shoulders for the euphoric ‘Sun’, as the backing screen changed into an image of the horizon, making it a perfect end to a stunning set by the band.
Two Door Cinema Club are a group guaranteed to put on the best show, whether you know all the songs or not, and that is down to the fantastic music, dancing crowds, and the sheer confidence and stage presence of the band.
Words and Photography by Jess Foster