This past June, I spent the month in France and one week of it frolicking through Paris. On one particular night, with complements of the one Euro wine, I missed a hyped concert by an Irish band, but somehow made it to the afterparty. I ended up on Rue Montmartre, the location of Social Club, for a DJ set by the two bands, Two Door Cinema Club and Pony Pony Run Run. My memory was made vague by the red wine, however I do remember dancing a lot to the DJ set, and vowing to see them perform live.

Fast forward six months later: the massive hype reached Toronto and I’m on assignment. Two Door Cinema Club took their album, Tourist History (I don’t think there could be a more appropriately titled album for this article), for a bigger North American tour and landed in Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theatre on October 25th. And singer/guitarist Alex Trimble brought a glass of red wine on stage. Oh, how French. Oh, Déjà vu!

The preppy rock appeal of Franz Ferdinand and Vampire Weekend is matched with sound and style. Button-down collared shirts sported by the entire band, Trimble stands out in red. After the second song “Undercover Martyn” he’s baffled by, but thankful for, the massive turnout. Hit single “Something Good Can Work” with the glittery guitar riffs is followed by a darker new song with less optimistic lyrics, asking “What became of you?”

And just when Toronto got it’s groove and started a full fledged dance party, the set was seemingly over. An immediate two-song encore followed with “Come Back Home” and the mesmerizing “ah-oh ah-oh ah-oh” intro to “I Can Talk.” Well, the show certainly gave Toronto something to dance and talk about.

By Ivana Markotic