The first thing I thought of when I found out who the line-up was, “Is this real?!” With St. Lucia and Smallpools performing as the opening acts for Two Door Cinema Club, I already knew this concert was going to be one for the books. The three groups create upbeat, feel-good, indie rock/pop songs that can be heard in trendy cafés and shops downtown. On Friday night October 4th, DAR Constitution Hall on D Street (which is ridiculously close to The White House… Hi Obama!) housed hundreds of fans that flocked from all over the DC area. Even though it was a seated venue, the bands gave electric performances that got the crowd to stand up and jam out to the beat.
Beginning with a humble introduction, Smallpools opened the night right by playing “No Story Time” and proceeded to build up the crowd’s energy by playing more songs from their self-titled debut EP. With the lead vocalist Sean Scanlon’s gritty chants, the group had no trouble getting fans to fist pump to the tempo. In addition to performing their most popular hit “Dreaming”, the band also played a cover of “Get What You Give” by New Radicals, which stirred the audience’s emotions by spurring intense nostalgia for the early to mid 2000s. These four young men’s charismatic smiles and sweet demeanors easily captured my heart!
After Smallpools’ set, St. Lucia took the stage and performed the catchy techno-like song “September” and quickly grabbed the curious crowd’s attention with its energetic rhythms. While the indie-electro band played songs from its self-titled EP like “All Eyes On You” and “Before The Drive”, it also performed a song called “Wait For Love” off its brand new album, When The Night. Lead vocalist Jean Phillip-Grobler’s bright red pants and floral printed collared shirt made his quirky dance moves easily noticeable.
Two Door Cinema Club, the main act, played both old and new fan favorites. From “Something Good Can Work” to “Pyramid”, the band gave performances that had every person in the hall standing up and chanting along to the lyrics. The flashing lights and heart-thumping bass had the crowd enraptured throughout the entire set. The Irish group had initially closed the night with “What You Know” and made an abrupt exit, but the audience’s desperate shouts for an encore brought them back out and performed the haunting classic “Sleep Alone”. The concert ended with the entire crowd dancing to the song’s electric vibes. The combination of the three acts did not fail to meet my expectations; I left feeling fully satisfied and craving more. TDCC performed in DC as the second stop in their North American tour, and will continue to tour in other countries including Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand.