Two Door Cinema Club are a deceptive beast. There’s no doubt at all they have the stature to headline Reading’s second stage tonight. Two albums behind them, another (after a bit of time off) ahead. Their last, ‘Beacon’ hit Number One in the UK album charts. Their debut sold over 250,000 copies to date. And yet, sometimes, when we think of indie’s path over the past half decade or so, it’s easy to diminish just what Two Door have accomplished.
At least until they put it all together on stage, anyway. When they bring out their A-game – specifically the ‘Tourist History’ trio of ‘Undercover Martyn’, ‘Something Good Can Work’ and ‘What You Know’ – it’s obvious that actually, Alex Trimble and co built a foundation for a generation of fans, and remain still in touch enough to add to that legacy. ‘Are We Ready? (Wreck)’ sounds the most likely to do the job, with it’s naggingly catchy hook sticking firm.
As with every band, though, Two Door have to evolve, and it’s not just the staggeringly high falsetto of ‘Bad Decisions’ that’s changed. Trimble has gone full Turner, adopting a quite staggering US style drawl between songs. With plentiful ‘y’all’s, it’s as if he’s been infected with the spirit of Kings of Leon. With a new album imminent, there are worse, less successful things that could happen to a band.