secret fireworks

Well, I've made no secret of my love for Two Door Cinema Club. I first saw the lads in the Waterfront back in 2008 and there was just something wonderfully captivating about Two Door- poppy, indietastic rock. Their first EP, Four Words To Stand On, was a good effort, though didn't really live up to their live performances (apart from Undercover Martyn). Over the past two years Two Door have slowly created their individual sound- one part Kowalski, one part The Postal Service, one part the Cribs, but unmistakeably unique.


At the Stiff Kitten gig we saw new material from Two Door- and this new material is quite simply wonderful. The EP pales in comparison to the new songs we've heard! The lead single, Something Good Can Work, is destined to be a huge hit in 2009. A light melody of a mazy guitar riff and a synth that reminds me for some crazy reason of the Beach Boys (I'm not quite sure why either) with the trademark drum machine beats we've come to expect. Alex's vocals do the job- they suit the song perfectly, not too many words, just perfect. Something Good is catchy as hell, and it's bound to get into your head after two listens. Listen to the track here and download the track if you so wish from the enclosed links.

In addition to the wonderful single I've found two excellent recordings from Two Door Cinema Club on the interwebs. The first is a demo called Hands Off My Cash, Monty- less emphasis on lyrics this time but one of the best choruses I've heard in a long time. The second is a recording from Steve Lamacq's show after a Two Door session called What You Want- perhaps a slightly darker but trademark track of the lads, with an excellent vocal performance by Alex. Listen to Hands Off My Cash, Monty and download What You Want

Two Door are currently on a tour taking them all over Europe after supporting the Wombats- if you get a chance in the UK or abroad, check them out. And my goodness, check them out when they return to Northern Ireland. These guys are going to be stars.

MySpace

Labels: two door cinema club

There's a very, very good reason why I queued up in the freezing cold outside the Stiff Kitten on the night of St Stephen's. I could have been tucked up in front of a fire watching some fine Christmas films on the telly. Instead, I went to see two of the hottest bands in Northern Ireland. Two Door Cinema Club and General Fiasco are planning to take the UK, and indeed the world, by storm in 2009 - on the basis of this performance they've got a pretty good chance.






Two Door, as always, got the party started with their delightful little mix of drum machines, driving guitars and occasional keyboard solos. There were a couple of small technical problems and there was a small delay as the lead guitarist broke a string, but the trio fly through a wonderful and polished set. New material is tucked in between old classics: one of the best songs of the night (called 'Kids', according to the ripped piece of cardboard that passes for a setlist) promises great things from this band. The new single 'Something Good Can Work' is destined to be huge in 2009: a memorable melody, an anthemic chorus and it's simply an excellent song. The biggest cheer of the set came at the last for 'Undercover Martyn' - Northern Irish indie rock at its finest, coupled with hand claps. Every time I see this band they're something different - their sound shifts from the Cribs to Death Cab to Kowalski - but they're always unmistakably brilliant.

General Fiasco have had a lot of hype and attention in the local music press - and I can safely say, in my eyes it's justified. Rigsy wrote this article in mid 2008 and it seems he's got it spot on. The lads blew nearly all of us to the wall last night. What's the difference between General Fiasco and the hundreds of local bands knocking about Northern Ireland? They've got the look: black t-shirts, cool hair and confident but not arrogant attitudes. They've certainly got the talent (more on that later). What's more, they've written some excellent material. Most of the songs we heard tonight had been recently written and they're really rather brilliant: there doesn't seem to be any filler whatsoever and the crowd loved every tune. The new single 'Something Sometime' is infectious and shows off the distinctive sound of the trio. There aren't any passengers in General Fiasco: Owen (with surprisingly strong vocals), Enda and in particular Leaky (with some incredible drumming) seem to give their all in every song. Of course, when 'Rebel Get By' finishes off the set, the lads have got the crowd in the palm of their hand.

Take a bow, gentlemen, the world is at your feet. If you haven't seen General Fiasco yet live, you really, really, really, really should.

Labels: general fiasco, two door cinema club

So, Belfast just got an Urban Outfitters store. Woohoo, I hear you say. It's class to have a look at clothes that I can never afford, but I can always dream, can't I? Anyway, to celebrate their opening the store had a free gig in association with local bar The Stiff Kitten, featuring acts such as The Panama Kings, The Cutaways and Two Door Cinema Club.



The first act up are The Cutaways. According to their MySpace they have "infectious harmonies, driving choruses and upbeat songs that are made for dancing". Sadly, they aren't on display here. The infectious harmonies seemed a little off key and the crowd seemed to be too cool to dance. Indeed, when the local band attempted to interact with the crowd, they faced a brick wall of apathy. The only saving grace of their performance was the superb drumming displayed by Ryan, playing with precision and style.

The second act up are Two Door Cinema Club. It's the second time in a week they've rocked a Belfast venue, and they certainly did in Urban Outfitters. They even manage to get the crowd dancing and clapping along- Cutaways take note! The three-piece combine dancefloor drum beats with soaring melodies and wonderful vocals, creating a dish full of awesomness that reminds me of a poppier The Postal Service. The set does drag along a little bit in the middle, but gems like "Undercover Martyn" make Two Door a band to watch out for. (Speaking of which, the video they created with BBC Across The Line is attached to this post).



Overall, a fairly decent gig. Cutaways were certainly a little bit disappointing, but Two Door Cinema Club made it worth the visit. To be fair, though, you can't really can't argue with the admission price.

Labels: the cutaways, the panama kings, two door cinema club