Two Door Cinema Club have been through a lot as a band. They've been in the spotlight ever since their huge debut album, Tourist History, in 2010 which saw them travel the world, but it was the period between their second and third albums which threatened to see them break up. They've been open about needing time away from each other, given the near-constant touring that their schedule demanded.
However, it's a different story in 2019, with the release of fourth album False Alarm earlier this year garnering rave reviews (not that the band pay much attention to that), and the band having a renewed sense of purpose and unity. Ahead of their Australian tour later this year, Cool Accidents spoke to Sam Halliday from Two Door Cinema Club about touring life, streaming services, and their plans for their visit to Australia.
Speaking to Sam, there's an immediate sense of excitement around having new music available to play live. As he explains, the best thing about having a new album is "being able to play shows again". When we caught him, Two Door Cinema Club had just wrapped up the first of two shows in Dublin, a place that the band holds dear to their heart. It's early in the morning, and it's fair to say that the celebration of the first Dublin show went into the wee hours.
Given the band's extensive touring, there's always the risk of the setlist feeling stale. However, Sam feels that having new music prevents this from being the case, and talks about the excitement of having new music to play. "There’s certainly a sense of nervousness around playing the newer stuff. I think that’s nice though, keeps you on your toes during the setlist. Keeps your mind from wandering too far from what you’re doing, knowing that you’ve got that new one coming up in a couple of songs." The band's eventual goal is to have the "whole album learnt", so they can have a revolving setlist each night, keeping things fun and fresh for both the band, and the crowd.
The new album is an evolution of the band's sound, and feels like an instance of the shackles being thrown off in terms of experimentation. The band hasn't hid their admiration of hip-hop, with Sam confident that "hip-hop has become the rock 'n' roll of the last decade", and their collaboration with Open Mike Eagle, Nice To See You, feels like a left-turn for the band that even a few years ago wouldn't have eventuated. There's a freedom that comes with being a band for so long, and the band's continued success is opening creative doors for them that previously may have been shut. Sam's tone switches between excitable and matter-of-fact, highlighting that the band has come to terms with their legendary status.
Having been around for a while, the band is being reminded of their beginnings by the reactions to the latest record played live, given that many people are continuing to experience the songs live for the first time, rather than listening to them on the album. Sam muses on their journey so far, and how despite how far they've come, they're still bringing in new fans. "We can't help but feel like we're 18-19 again, and have just written a song, and watching people react to it for the first time live. We’re very much a studio band now, we don’t have that ‘let’s try this live before we record it’, that’s very much a thing of the past, but these new songs are reminding us of that." During the conversation with Sam, there's a sense of youthfulness that you can't help but get swept up in, and it's testament to the band's success that a decade on, they remain so damn exciting.
The band is in an interesting place, given they started before the streaming age truly kicked off, but now they're making full use of the data available to them. There's positives and negatives to having access to this information, but Sam is quick to point out how much it means to them to have access to these statistics. "We’ll see new places where Spotify shows us we have fans, and we can go play a show there. That stuff is really amazing. Seeing where the band is popular, and where we should be touring. Seeing what songs are going well on streaming influences our setlists as well, we’re all quite aware of that." If you're a fan of Two Door Cinema Club, and they haven't visited you in a while, then you can get their attention through streaming their music.
However, that's not to say they gear their writing towards streaming services, as they still very much view themselves as a band suited to albums rather than singles. They've always done things a bit differently, and Sam mentions throughout the interview, "I think we’re very much an album band, and we’re still trying to stick to that format. That’s what we enjoy, and that’s what we’ve always liked." On the other hand, the band is aware about how streaming services are making music more accessible. "We’re realising that music is becoming more disposable, which leads to releasing shorter albums more frequently. It’s about navigating your way through it, and accepting the reality." Streaming services are here to stay, and bands are learning to use them to their advantage.
The band's looking forward to their Australian tour, and they're no strangers to coming Down Under. "We’re very excited about the summer-time. We leave Ireland in the winter. We always plan to eat a lot of seafood and get to the beach. Our plan is very basic in that sense. We’ve always had a good time in Australia, the crowds have always been good to us." Australia loves Two Door Cinema Club, and it's clear the feeling is mutual, with Sam speaking glowingly about the band's previous times in Australia.
Looking forward to 2020, Two Door Cinema Club are focused on getting music out sooner rather than later (just don't expect them to shoot it into space like they did with False Alarm). "The big thing will be getting music out a lot quicker this time around, so that’s very exciting. There’s a lot of stuff written, we got a lot of stuff done in the last session. We’re in a good place with music."
