Concert Review: Two Door Cinema Club at ACL

By Carlos Chavez
Music Journalist

Two Door Cinema Club are no strangers to the Austin music scene. From their first show in town seven years ago opening up for Phoenix at Stubb’s, to performing as one of ACL’s 2016 headliners, the lads made their way back to town once again, this time performing at ACL Live at the Moody Theatre in front of almost 2,700 fans. After the release of their third studio album, Gameshow, the band jumped on the road playing shows all over the world.

Running late, my friends and I sprinted from our parking spot (that took ages to find) in downtown Austin, picked up our tickets from will-call and made our way through the surprisingly serene and low-key crowd. We missed the opening act, indie rock band “Circa Waves”, but were told by some audience members that their set was real impressive, since most people have never heard of the UK based band before. I was shocked by the older looking crowd. There were definitely more young adults than angsty teenagers at this show. Then I realized that I myself am a young adult. I’m 21 and all of these Austin “yuppies” probably grew up listening to “Tourist History” and “Beacon” in their young adolescent years just like me, and we’re all finally seeing one of our nostalgically favorite bands live! That was a weird realization.

The clock finally struck nine o’clock and fans starting gradually moving closer to the stage to get a better view. Once Two Door finally took over, there was a sudden change in the atmosphere. Starting the show with songs like “Cigarettes in the Theatre”, “Undercover Martyn” and “This Is the Life”, the venue became a dance pit of overjoyed fans singing along to each song. Fans seemed fascinated because Two Door did an amazing job of incorporating and singing songs from all three of their albums– so no matter what era of the band you enjoyed the most, you were left in awe no matter what song came on next.

Every guitar pick, drum solo and sweet vocal performance complemented each other well all throughout the show, making sure fans were anything but still. Concluding the show with their most popular single (according to Spotify), “What You Know”, the roof of the Moody Theatre was ready to burst from the crowd’s energy. They left a long lasting impression on everyone leaving the venue. Everyone was trying to catch their breath because they were singing and dancing way too hard. Seeing Two Door Cinema Club was definitely worth the wait. They lived up to every standard that should be set for any indie rock band out there. The little excited middle schooler in me was brought out that night, and I think it’s safe to say that was the case for many other fans as well.

Featured image by Carlos Chavez.