GiggingNI.com

Two Door Cinema Club

With Twin Atlantic; Pulled Apart by Horses; Save Your Breath;

For the first time, all four regional BBC Introducing programmes for Radio 1 came together to showcase up and coming talents from all four areas. With a line up comprising of Wales' Save Your Breath, Scotland's Twin Atlantic, England's Pulled Apart by Horses and Northern Ireland's own Two Door Cinema Club, it was destined to be a good night of music.

First band of the night was Save Your Breath. With a mass of energy from the start to finish of their slot, the Newport quintet are a prime warm up band. Despite being faced with a crowd who may not have heard their music before, lead singer Webbo tries his best to win around a few fans with timid between-song banter. The band fail - almost fail - to connect until song 'The Lost Boys', which is buoyant enough to seem reminiscent of American pop punk masters Set Your Goals. A short and sweet set list is par for the course on a night like this but Save Your Breath may just have added a few fans to their small Belfast contingent.

Twin Atlantic grace Belfast with their presence for the second time with a few months and amidst high expectations. 'Lightspeed' is the perfect impactful opener, imposing the Scottish quartet firmly on the room and instantly catching the attention of those gathered. Barging through, soon to be classic, 'Where is Light? Where is Laughter?' and 'Caribbean War Syndrome', things seem to be firmly in the band's hand until a sudden two fingered gesture and rebuttal is uttered mid-song from singer Sam McTrusty. Once the song is over, McTrusty calls out one specific audience member by stating how if you turn up to a show to see new bands then you should not be so ignorant as to direct rude gestures in the middle of a band's set. This sentiment is backed entirely by a small collective of other audience members who begin to give the band the thumbs up sign to show they are having a good time. Despite this minor upset, the band are on good form, delivering performance after performance which is sure to have cemented the band in a few more hearts which bodes well for when they return for headlining dates early next year.

Hailing from Leeds, Pulled Apart by Horses are fresh from a supporting stint with Biffy Clyro and have a few fans in the audience. With a much more chaotic and rougher sound, they may not be everyone's cup of tea, but, they are definitely distinguishable amongst the current music scene. With an edge reminiscent of punk heavyweights Refused, their music could easily be lost if it were not for their raucous performance. Stunt of the night, undoubtedly, goes to guitarist James Brown for scaling the side of the stage and playing from the balcony during 'High Five Swan Dive Nose Dive'. As well as a balcony climbing guitarist, the band's onstage repertoire includes backward roll, with guitar, by vocalist Tom Hudson. Pulled Apart by Horse may not seem like the widest reaching, or most mainstream band, but they don't seem to care about popular opinion: they would rather grab you by the throat with their music until they make an impact.

Bangor's own Two Door Cinema Club is definitely the band the majority of the crowd want to see. As soon as they take to the stage, there is clear audience approval and enjoyment. A first song bass strap break shows how pleased the band is to play in front of a home crowd after a fairly long time. Their electronic backed indie sound is upbeat and danceable, defying anyone in the room to not dance or even tap their foot along with the band. With the start of every song, a new round of cheers sounds from the audience and their catchy melodies are destined to be stuck in your head after a few listens. Highlights of the set were 'This is the Life' and 'I Can Talk' which is their soon to be released single. Amongst their set are a few new songs, giving a taste of what their new album will sound like. Although Two Door Cinema Club's music is the polar opposite to Pulled Apart by Horses, they effortlessly followed the third band of the night and proved just why they're so popular by having the audience in the palm of their hand.

After their set, explanation is not needed as to why this band is so popular around their homeland, and, after the release of their upcoming album, it's pretty sure that Northern Ireland isn't going to be the only place where they are loved.