“Did you think we were done with you, North America?” After the finale of Two Door Cinema Club’s nearly sold-out spring 2024 tour, the indie rock band came right back to fill fans’ hearts with even more infectious live shows, beginning in Atlanta at the Coca-Cola Roxy.
They were joined by Jacksonville band flipturn, a well-known name in the indie realm due to the virality of their 2018 song “August.” Their bass-heavy hits meshed well with Two Door Cinema Club’s overarching aesthetic, making them a beautifully-fitted opener for the night.
Flipturn’s vocalist Dillon Basse, guitarist Tristan Duncan, synth player Mitch Fountain, bassist Madeline Jarman and drummer Devon VonBalson took to the stage, smiling and waving as they were greeted by cheers from the audience. Immediately, they leapt into the energetic “Six Below.”
To witness flipturn live was to witness a lightning storm on stage—they were wild, captivating and extraordinarily fun in a way that not many other bands have mastered. They milked the audience for every drop of enthusiasm, and the audience gave it back to them tenfold.
The band played “Sad Disco” and “Weepy Woman” off of their album “Shadowglow,” and they graced the crowd with unreleased tracks “Burnout Days” and “Juno” as well.
At one point in between songs, VonBalson grabbed a drum and a cymbal and jumped down from the stage. He handed them to two fans in the front row, and he had them hold onto the drum as he performed a ridiculously complicated drum solo. The crowd went ballistic, thrilled to be so closely involved in the music.
More than the band’s snappy guitar riffs and moving bass lines, what really sets flipturn apart is Basse’s voice. His powerful but gentle vocal presence is a staple for the band’s sound. It was especially notable during one of the band’s rare slow songs, “Savannah.”
He sang, “You know that one day I’d wake up / And I’d be too late” as the piano transitioned seamlessly into the next song, “Playground.” His vocals are exceptionally unique, and it only adds to the whimsy and impeccable cadence of the band’s music.
By the time flipturn exited the stage, they had converted every member of the audience into devoted fans. That is the true test of a good show: a band’s ability to enrapture the crowd, whether or not they had heard the band’s music prior.
Two Door Cinema Club had quite a tough act to follow, but they delivered. The Northern Irish band consisting of vocalist Alex Trimble, guitarist Sam Halliday and bassist Kevin Baird arrived on stage, dressed in suit jackets and button-ups.
Their attire was fitting for the vibe of the concert: quirky, millennial and endearingly nostalgic. They evoked this through the use of guitar lines that quickly got the audience up and moving.
The band opened with “This Is the Life,” a song about the freedom and joy that comes with being young. Trimble repeated the song’s title again and again, eliciting a certain euphoria with each iteration.
They took songs from all over their 17-year-long career spanning from “Cigarettes In the Theatre” and “Do You Want It All?” from their debut album “Tourist History” to “Wonderful Life” and “Messenger AD (Intro)” from their latest album “Keep On Smiling.”
Every song’s rhythmic tempo made it incredibly danceable, and the audience took every opportunity to do so. The crowd towards the front jumped with the beat while those in the back used the space to dance wildly with their friends. A few couples were even twirling each other around in the open space and enjoying the musical atmosphere that Two Door Cinema Club created.
The highlight of the night was easily their final song “What You Know.” With 851 million streams on Spotify, the song is by far their most successful commercially. It clearly resonated with the live audience too as the crowd roared with excitement when its opening notes rang out.
Trimble sang, “And I can’t say it’s what you know / But you’ve known it the whole time.” People sang, people danced and people made their memories as the band delivered this final song.
A good concert draws the audience in and makes them forget about their outside worries or anxieties. Two Door Cinema Club executed this flawlessly, turning the venue into a bubble of carefree bliss and comforting nostalgia with their music.