Imagine this: it’s 2010, you’ve just listened to Two Door Cinema Club’s debut album Tourist History for the umpteenth time and there’s a new episode of Skins or The Inbetweeners to watch on E4 later. None of your favourite artists are Tories and life is good. Except it’s actually 2026, and the horrors of the passage of time persist… but, luckily, so do the now-classic indie bangers, because TDCC are in town to celebrate the 15th anniversary of their debut album.
The throwback quotient is upped this evening with main support Friendly Fires – frontman Ed Macfarlane’s energetic and fun performance, almost like a drunk dad at a family BBQ, warming up the castle walls this evening for the main event. TDCC split their show into three parts: the first consists solely of songs from Tourist History, including I Can Talk, Come Back Home and This Is The Life.
“I can’t believe what a beautiful venue this is!” beams bassist Kevin Baird. “What a beautiful place to have a gig. Very different to the first place we played here… basically a toilet, called Cardiff Barfly.” Cue for Something Good Can Work to conclude part one.
Part two, the ‘greatest hits’ portion of the evening, opens with an elite run of Sleep Alone, Next Year and Changing Of The Seasons – plus, according to guitarist Sam Halliday, a “Cardiff exclusive” in Sure Enough, being played for the first time this year. How lovely.
The final segment of the set kicks off with the chaos-causing Undercover Martyn, which sees a fair few £8 pints thrown into the air, and finishes with What You Know. A song which has surely been played in every single sticky indie disco in the country for the past 15 years, it – likewise Two Door Cinema Club’s appearance here overall – serves as a reminder that sometimes, it’s alright to indulge in a bit of nostalgia on a nice summer evening.
Two Door Cinema Club + Friendly Fires, Cardiff Castle, Sun 2 Aug
words JOSHUA WILLIAMS photos ZACK KINGSTON-BUTLER
