Two Door Cinema Club + STRFKR @ MTelus▪

It was just a few weeks ago that my wife was explaining to me what “hopecore” is: “uplifting, comforting, and deeply resilient audio,” apparently. Examples usually explain it better, and sure enough, both of the bands on tonight’s bill at MTelus were in the Reel she showed me. Looks like I’m in for a mood-lift tonight then!

STRFKR

Portland’s STRFKR are here for their first visit in almost 10 years, since a triumphant 24-song set at Theatre Fairmount, and evidently they’re keen to make up for lost time, starting their set around 10 minutes earlier than the advertised showtime! While I’m Alive is still a perfect start to a set, frontman Joshua Hodges wailing vocal sounding like an air raid siren to gather us all to attention over that funk beat as 2 dancing astronauts summon the party. The driving bass of Malmo keeps up the pace.

The dancers leave for a more mellow section of Kahlil Gibran and Under Water/In Air, before returning all in gold (faces included) for Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second and Mystery Cloud, inciting a huge clapalong from the crowd in parallel with the summer vibes of the music – much appreciated as we reluctantly turn the calendars over to October!

Golden Light has recently been given a new lease of life on social media, so gets an enthusiastic response with a lot of dancing across the floor, and the party continues right through to Open Your Eyes and synthy space-age set closer Bury Us Alive, with one of the dancers (now back as an astronaut) crowdsurfing in the splits position; 10/10 for imagination AND flexibility! An awesome 45 minutes to start the evening.

STRFKR Setlist

While I’m Alive
Malmo
Kahlil Gibran
Under Water/In Air
Leaving
Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second
Mystery Cloud
Golden Light
Maps
Open Your Eyes
Bury Us Alive

Two Door Cinema Club

Coincidentally, it’s also nearly 10 years since Two Door Cinema Club last headlined in Montreal too, in this very same room, which seems like an eternity given how frequently they used to visit; I counted 6 headline shows here between 2010 and 2016! They’re here celebrating 15 years of their legendary Tourist History debut record (which is actually 16 years old by the time the tour reaches us), and the show begins with a video montage of the band from that era, looking so young and fresh-faced! To be fair, they still look pretty young now too, with only frontman Alex looking markedly older now with his big red beard!

The video ends with the words “Chapter 1,” at which point the unmistakable drums and guitars of album opener Cigarettes in the Theatre kick in, and the room promptly erupts. Unlike many of these record anniversary shows, TDCC elect to chop up the order a little, and track 6 comes next, the thunderous I Can Talk, to maintain the momentum, followed by a massive Come Back Home; man, what a start to the set!!!

Apparently the band are going off the Japanese Edition of the record, because we also get those bonus tracks tonight too, starting with Costume Party (Kids comes a little later in the set). Do You Want It All? features triple harmonies from guitarist Sam Halliday, bassist Kevin Baird, and keyboardist Andrew Lindsay, and then the iconic Something Good Can Work. In between, Kevin describes how the band came to Montreal right after Tourist History was released, and played Sala Rossa. He asks, “was anyone there?!” I was, so I roar a loud “YEAHHHHH!”, my lonely voice standing out from the crowd. Kevin responds “yeahhh don’t lie, nobody was there!” HOW DARE YOU, KEVIN, I HAVE PROOF!!!

After recovering from my integrity being questioned, another video montage appears on stage, which culminates in the words “Epilogue.” This signals a transition to the records that came after the debut, and really showcase how solid a catalogue the band put together after that record. Sleep Alone and Next Year are two of the best, so the arrival of those as a tandem is amazing, with singalongs just as loud as they were for “Chapter 1.” Alex Trimble has Alex Turner vibes on Changing of the Seasons, gliding around the stage and up the rear stage stairs in a suit with just a mic, switching up some of the vocals jazz-club style; very Tranquility Base! Lavender has similar Father John Misty vibes. Kids is included in this section too (not sure why), before it closes out with Are We Ready? (Wreck) and Sun, Alex inciting a massive singalong from the crowd.

Another video interlude ends with the words “Chapter 2,” which signals the arrival of everything outstanding from Tourist History (Japanese Edition). The band lets us sing the opening verse of Undercover Martyn, which is absolutely deafening, and absolutely frantic; even my normally chill wife starts jumping around on the floor! The 80-minute set closes with the colossal What You Know, the crowd singing the riff along with the band, and bouncing throughout. The band stop to soak up the cheers for a moment, before busting out the last chorus in furious manner.

A celebration for the ages; hoping we don’t have to wait another 10 years before we can do it again!