Irish band makes debut in India at Pune music fest

An Irish band making its India debut at a popular music fest in Pune this weekend opens up about ruling the indie charts

It was a rainy afternoon when we first heard Two Door Cinema Club's Sun back in 2012. As they eased from their dreamy introductory slow-tempo chords to a compulsive groove, we were soon up on our feet, gloom set aside, moving to the up-tempo tunes.

There aren't too many indie outfits that manage to mix dream pop and pure indie, but this Irish outfit has achieved that since its inception in 2007, and then some. For the influence of their music now echoes in the indie scene in Britain and India as well.

The band, which comprises Alex Trimble (vocals, rhythm guitar, beats, synth), Kevin Baird (bass, synth) and Sam Halliday (lead guitar), are all set to make their India debut at the sixth edition of Vh1 Supersonic. And they are as excited about it as their fans. "We can't wait to meet our Indian fans. We've been dreaming about performing in the country," says Baird.

While classics like Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison and David Bowie were their staples; they soon stumbled upon The Strokes and Idlewild. And their music made Baird and Alex want to form a band. "Alex and I played classical instruments and the guitar was probably a rebellion from that. Sam started playing the guitar because he wanted to play Sweet Child 'O Mine!" shares Baird. And so, Life Without Rory was formed, but soon disbanded primarily because it was more about teenage angst, the members confess. With angst out of the way, they decided to make music seriously, and named their band after a cinema hall near where they grew up, called the Tudor Cinema. "Sam mispronounced "Tudor" as "Two Door", and we were like why not?" laughs Baird. And Two Door Cinema Club was born.

Sam Halliday and Alex Trimble, performing in New York

Today, they correctly wear their ability to make listeners move as a badge of honour. For Baird confesses that that's the one thing that's always on their minds while composing — to make people dance. "At its core, our music has always been about having fun and dancing. Over the years, we've tried different methods to make people move; sometimes, it's speed and on other occasions, it's with groove. There are times when people need to forget about what's going on, just let go and dance. That's where we come in," suggests Baird.

Kevin Baird

And what do the kings of indie have to say about the music scene? "We can see that there's a shift happening — from bands that rely on tricky and perfected guitar parts for their key sound, to bands that build their songs on rough structures, which then come together in an organic way. That's what people want to listen to," says Baird, picking Canadian singer Mac DeMarco and American indie rock singer Snail Mail as some of the innovative artistes they applaud.

They will playing all their popular numbers including What You Know, Cigarettes in the Theatre, The World is Watching and Changing of the Seasons, and look forward to listening to Indian indie bands at the Pune gig, though they are acquainted with the works of Pandit Ravi Shankar.

ON February 16 and 17
AT Mahalaxmi Lawns, Karve Nagar, Pune 
LOG ON TO bookmyshow.com
COST Rs 2499 onwards

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!