• Tweet

Review and photos by special guest correspondent Adam Harrison

Leave it to the Irish to get everyone dancing! Toronto’s Sound Academy was filled with youngsters eager to move to the animated rhythms of Two Door Cinema Club. This indie electro pop rock band from the small town of Bangor, Northern Ireland is currently touring in support of their second album, Beacon.

Opening the night was New York City alternative rockers, Guards, depicted in a dark fog allowing only their black outline to be seen. Lead singer Richie James Follin, who looks like he’s been growing his hair since the ’90s grunge era, is a busy man. Not only does he front Guards, but he’s also the lead man in The Willowz, a live member of Cults, and a solo artist. He clearly was the prominent performer in this opening set. At one point, he even abandoned his guitar for a few moments to play to the spirited crowd. Guards’ overall look and sound is very ’70s influenced. However the standout song was definitely the set closing, Arcade Fire-esque, “I See It Coming”.

Two Door Cinema Club had a very different approach – looking like modern hipsters, illuminated by a giant triangle light display, and feeding from the non-stop energy of the young audience. Wasting little time, they opened their 70-minute set with the first single off Beacon, “Sleep Alone”, which sent everyone into an immediate frenzy.

If you haven’t listened to Beacon yet, it’s a must do for 2012. TDCC had big shoes to fill after their breakthrough debut album, Tourist History. Nevertheless, they have grown as a band and produced an equally (maybe even more) impressive and full album.

As almost every track seems like a hit, and their live set never seemed to slow down. The biggest highlights included the melodic “Sun” and the two top singles from Tourist History, “I Can Talk” and “Something Good Can Work”. The encore consisted of three songs, the second of which was delayed by technical difficulties. The finale was the last single from Tourist History, “What You Know”.

Short but sweet seemed to be the opinion of the masses. But with only a couple tracks from each album left off the setlist, there was little to protest. The boys still seem a little shy on stage, but overall, an excellent performance from a very young and upcoming band. Keep your eyes and ears open for Two Door Cinema Club, their sing-and-dance-along-ability is irresistible!