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TDCC ARE BACK WITH CREATIVE FIRE IN THEIR LOINS AND A WHOLE NEW CENTERED SENSE OF PURPOSE. THEY’VE HAD THE FIGHTS. THEY’VE HAD THE INERTIA. NOW FOR THE ACTION.
From the outside, Two Door Cinema Club is one of the greatest alt-pop success stories of this decade. Three seventeen-year-old schoolfriends from Bangor Grammar School in County Down – singer Alex Trimble, guitarist Sam Halliday, and bassist Kevin Baird – formed the band in 2008, inspired by Foals and The Maccabees, but with their own melodic twist.
When they reconvened in 2015, free of past tensions, they approached writing differently. Instead of forcing songs in the same room, they worked largely over email, giving each other space and freedom. Over five months, they shared and layered ideas remotely before heading into the studio with Jacknife Lee. The process was quick, organic, and free from overthinking or anxiety. The resulting album, Gameshow, pushed beyond the traditional Two Door sound to embrace influences from Prince, Madonna, McCartney, Chic, Krautrock, neo soul, and modernist pop.
Alex embraced incorporating bigger pop elements without following current trends, instead drawing inspiration from boundary-pushers like Bowie and Prince. He aimed to balance huge melodies with more obscure lyrics, making the music more interesting. Having relaunched with Irish shows under the name Tudor Cinema Club and an acclaimed run in Mexico, TDCC returns with creative fire and a renewed sense of purpose.