Two Door Cinema Club and The Vaccines

Two Door Cinema Club are a Northern Irish electronic/alternative rock duo. I saw them at the Ritz Ybor in Tampa back in 2012 and they were amazing! They brought all the energy of a stadium concert into a medium sized venue. The stage setup, with laser lights, made their music feel like a party. You’d be surprised at how well they play the crowd.
Their music uses a lot of electronic bleeps and blurps but blends the bass and guitar in perfectly. Their sound is funky and they add unexpected musical elements to make them a one-of-a-kind band. Their set included “Something Good Can Work”, “Undercover Martyn”, “Sleep Alone” and the eponymous “I Can Talk” – with its unmistakable intro. They also know how to slow the music down, however, and Two Door Cinema club played some slower tracks beautifully. They are true artists on stage that have mastered their instruments. The lead singer croons perfectly on key all while managing the energy of the room depending on the song. Some times we slow danced, some times we jumped up and down like lunatics. Either way, Two Door Cinema club is DEFINITELY worth seeing. And since they are not internationally huge yet, their ticket prices can often be under $30, making the experience a steal.

A boisterous band du jour, there were many who doubted the lasting capabilities of West Londoners The Vaccines, featuring members of Jay Jay Pistolet, and the little bro of Tom Cowan (The Horrors). With early plaudits from Clash, Zane Lowe and NME for YouTube demo “If You Wanna...”, the foursome blew up, trebucheted into the mainstream for all to see. Their debut record What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? toyed with their hype, yet remained a brash anthology of youthful guitar-pop. Those that had doubts were being dissuaded; when the band released Come Of Age, which went straight to the number one spot, almost all naysayers had been converted. The band famously debuted their live prowess in a high profile, sold-out show at The Flowerpot, with members of Franz Ferdinand, The Maccabees, White Lies and Mumford & Sons in attendance. Not bad, eh?
The Vaccines have gone strength to strength with their shows, unleashing torrents of scuzzy rock onto crowds via pleasers such as “Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)”, “Nørgaard” and “Post Break-Up Sex”. These days, they're bolstered by a beefy back catalogue (“No Hope” and “Teenage Icon” shining particularly bright), legions of diehard fans and a raw, energising live show that'll scorch your eyebrows clean off. Recently(ish), they also played to a sell-out audience at the 10,000 capacity Alexandria Palace – not too shabby for a pack of unlikely pals after only a couple of years together.