Reviewed by Jeffrey B. Remz
Two Door Cinema Club hadn't toured the U.S. in more than four years. Yes, it had been awhile as lead singer Alex Trimble of the Northern Ireland band pointed out.
In this day and age when bands – and perhaps more importantly – their fans come and go, Two Door Cinema Club showed a lot of staying power in their buoyant, engaging sold-out show.
For TDCC, it all started with the beat. Touring drummer Cameron Spence set a sturdy musical backbone throughout the 85-minute set. And he was aided by Two Door's Kevin Baird on bass and keyboards and guitarist Sam Halliday, who had a staccato, steely approach to his playing.
At times, TDCC recalled the sudden shifts of David Byrne and Talking Heads along with the danceability of the songs. That was apparent from the start, the hyperkinetic new single, '"Surer Enough."
Trimble, sharply dressed in a white suit and brown dress shoes, did his part quite well in putting the songs across with 10 of the 22 songs coming from their debut disc from 2010, "Tourist History." Interestingly, TDCC only played two songs from their most recent release, "Keep on Smiling."
Not that there was a particular difference in quality.
And TDCC had a lot of vocal help throughout with the crowd singing along from start to finish.
The emphasis was on the music as Trimble, Baird and Halliday all had turns with brief comments to the crowd. But perhaps nothing said it better than at the end when Trimble stood after closing out the night with "What You Know," looking out to the crowd and seemingly – and deservedly - taking in the tremendous cheers and response from the fans with a smile and wave to the crowd.
Memo to Trimble, Baird and Halliday – next time, don't wait so long.
Joywave, a band from Rochester, N.Y., got the night rolling with a highly complementary set to the headliners. The group's music wasn't quite as danceable or ear friendly as Two Door Cinema Club, but they came close.
Lead singer Daniel Armbruster was an entertaining front man, looking something between artsy hipster and nerd. Moving about the stage seemingly non-stop for 40 minutes, Armbruster also has a good sense of humor. He also got the crowed to sing "Happy Birthday" to a surprised and happy Spence.
Joywave deservedly drew a very strong response from the crowd, a good omen for their headlining tour later this year when they return to Boston.