Review: Two Door Cinema Club at Roadrunner Boston

Ireland’s Two Door Cinema Club visited Roadrunner in Boston on February 27 and proved once again why they’ve remained a formidable force in the indie rock scene.

The venue–filled with fans young & old–buzzed with anticipation during joywave’s eccentric opening set. Joywave kicked off with newer releases (“Brain Damage” & ‘The Mall’), but also revved up the crowd with their 2015 hit single “Dangerous.” TDCC took the stage just after nine, and sprinkled songs off their entire discography, with a majority from their iconic 2010 & 2012 albums, Tourist History and Beacon.
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TDCC has been open about how mental health, drug addiction, and playing in a band together for “more than half their lives” impacted the band. Just at the height of their career in 2014, the band announced its hiatus. In 2019, lead singer Alex Trimble told The Sun, “It was sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll for years. Then it fell apart. It was never really about the job or the band. We were human beings and we’d been punishing ourselves.”

“We pretty much despised one another by the end. We pushed it too hard for too long. Together 24/7, almost 365 days a year, we were doing over 200 shows a year plus the traveling, records and video shoots – we were never apart. It was physically and mentally draining, and we got [to] that point in early to mid-2013 where we all agreed that it just wasn’t worth it. We didn’t want to be around one another for a very long time.”

Upon their return in 2016, the band told The Guardian how necessary their break was to “enjoy each other’s company” and make music together again with no contractual obligations. “We all definitely, on one level or other, had an identity crisis. We needed to force some self-discovery,” bassist Kevin Baird said. “I thrive on just making things, whether that’s music, or art, or writing. I’m happier, more fulfilled than I’ve ever been just being able to make things every day and not feel guilty or restricted.”