Live Review // Two Door Cinema Club & Citadels

Kicking things off well and truly with a bang were London newcomers Citadels. Previously compared to bands such as MGMT and The Flaming Lips although at times tonight there were darker elements visible; a mixture of percussion, keys, flute and haunting vocals alluding to sounds similar to Grammatics and Johnny Foreigner at their most melancholy. But we’re not here to make comparisons as Citadels’ ramshackle melodies and harmonies manage to captivate the entire audience for pretty much the entirety of the set. Keyboard player Lucy Taylor and lead vocalist/guitarist Stef Ferguson’s vocal exchanges added a drama and sometime melancholy to the backing sounds. Recent single ‘The Chemical Song’ appeared to much excitement and applause from a now rather animated crowd; the sign of something very special from this bunch.

Covering the other end of the spectrum are tonight’s headliners Two Door Cinema Club. Playing to a packed out crowd in Newcastle’s Other Rooms in support of their recently released debut album Tourist History, the crowd were putty in the band’s hands from the very beginning. The set included a mixture of songs from the album and b-sides, all with their typical knee-jerk pop getting the crowd moving in sync. Recent singles ‘Something Good Can Work’ and ‘I Can Talk’ were played, launching audience wide clap and singalongs throughout the tiny venue. Boosted very much by the extremely energetic audience, hits were blasted left, right and centre, turning some of the smaller album tunes into outright anthems. Two Door Cinema Club are a band that know how to deliver a hit, and come festival season, I predict even more hype for these Irish lads.

Two Door Cinema Club’s debut album Tourist History is out now on Kitsuné. You can download the Passion Pit remix of latest single ‘Undercover Martyn’ here for free.