Two Door Cinema Club, Tufnell Park Dome, London review • DIY Magazine

“It’s been a long time, London,” Alex Trimble tells the packed Tufnell Park Dome. And indeed it has; the last time Two Door Cinema Club played in the capital was at a sold-out O2 Arena way back in 2013. In the three years since, the trio have gone through varied trials and tribulations. Excessive touring commitments sparked tension between the three members, leading to an extended two-year hiatus following a cancelled Latitude headline set. Tonight, alongside new record ‘Gameshow’ out next month, marks a rebirth, a turning of the tides. The Two Door Cinema Club who take to this North London stage are rejuvenated and revived, a phoenix risen out from old flames.

Preceding the set is a short film documenting the band’s time recording ‘Gameshow’ in Los Angeles with Jacknife Lee. It’s a good segue into opener ‘Cigarettes In The Theatre’. This set is just as much about introducing new material as it is about celebrating the old. After a string of rapturous first record crowd-pleasers (‘Undercover Martyn’, ‘Do You Want It All?’, ‘This Is The Life’), you’d never have guessed that the band had been on a break. They breathe new life into fan favourites, playing with just as much intensity and playfulness as they did before, the audience’s Two Door withdrawal quenched. This is the mark of a group stronger and more vibrant than ever, each song played a statement of friendships rekindled and slates cleaned.

It’s around mid-set that the London faithful are treated to new material with ‘Bad Decisions’. The band’s latest single is lathered in ‘80s-style disco, seeds of Prince ingrained in the song’s DNA. Alex gets to show off his vocal chops as he channels the Bee Gees, and every note is inch-perfect. The funk-laden, Bowie grooves are echoed with fellow newbie ‘Are We Ready? (Wreck)’, already inciting massive crowd sing-alongs with its enormous chorus.

The three-piece then continue to endear, with 2012’s ‘Next Year’ and ‘Sleep Alone’, an effortless charm transmitted through their trademark breed of electro-pop. This a London crowd who have gone far too long without the band, and the fans’ palpable gratitude is mirrored by the boys themselves. As the final notes of ‘What You Know’ echo across the Dome and the trio wave an emotional goodbye, London can rest easy, as they already know it’s far from Two Door Cinema Club’s final farewell.