Two Door Cinema Club facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Two Door Cinema Club
Two Door Cinema Club performing at the 2012 Bonnaroo Music Festival. From left to right: Sam Halliday, touring drummer Benjamin Thompson, and Alex Trimble. Kevin Baird is off the photo.
Background information
Origin	Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland
Genres	Indie rock indie pop dance-punk post-punk revival
Years active	2007–present
Labels	Kitsuné Glassnote Cooperative Parlophone Warner

Members	Alex Trimble Kevin Baird Sam Halliday

Two Door Cinema Club is a popular band from Northern Ireland. They formed in 2007 and have three main members:

Alex Trimble (who sings, plays guitar, and uses synthesizers)
Sam Halliday (who plays lead guitar and sings backup)
Kevin Baird (who plays bass guitar, synthesizers, and sings backup)

Their first album, Tourist History, came out in 2010. It was a big success and even won an award for the best Irish album that year. Their second album, Beacon, was released in 2012 and reached number one in Ireland. The band has released several more albums since then, including Gameshow (2016) and False Alarm (2019). They are known for playing at big music festivals like Reading and Leeds and Glastonbury.

How the Band Started

Alex Trimble and Sam Halliday first met at Bangor Grammar School. Later, they met Kevin Baird. The three of them first played music together when they were 16. Their first band was called Life Without Rory. They even appeared on a TV show called ATL Rock School, but they finished in last place. Life Without Rory recorded a few demo songs before they stopped playing together.

Soon after, Trimble, Halliday, and Baird formed a new band. This time, they decided not to have a permanent drummer. They chose the name Two Door Cinema Club in 2007. The name came from Sam Halliday's funny way of saying "Tudor Cinema," which was a local cinema. When more and more people became interested in their music online, the band members decided to focus on music instead of going to university.

Band History and Music

Early Songs and First EP (2007–2009)

The band released an EP (a mini-album) called Four Words to Stand On in 2008. They recorded it themselves. This EP got a lot of attention on different websites. Ten years later, in 2018, they officially released it to the public.

Tourist History Album (2009–2011)

In 2009, Two Door Cinema Club started recording their first full album in London. They finished mixing the album in Paris.

In January 2010, the band announced details about their first album, Tourist History. It was released in Ireland and the UK in March 2010, and in the U.S. in April 2010. Before the album came out, they released popular songs like "Something Good Can Work" and "Undercover Martyn".

In 2011, Two Door Cinema Club performed their song "What You Know" on the American TV show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. This song later became one of their biggest hits.

Beacon Album (2011–2013)

In 2012, the band announced that their second album was almost ready. On June 20, 2012, they shared that the album would be called Beacon. It was released in September 2012. A famous producer named Jacknife Lee, who has worked with bands like U2 and R.E.M., produced the album.

"Sleep Alone" was the first song released from Beacon. The music video for "Sleep Alone" came out in August. This song was also featured in the video game FIFA 13. Later, "Sun" was released as the second song from the album.

After Beacon was released, the band shared a four-part documentary called What We See. It showed what life was like for the band members while they were on tour in Europe.

Changing of the Seasons EP (2013–2016)

On August 8, 2013, the band announced a new EP called Changing of the Seasons. The main song from the EP was released on August 20.

In 2014, Alex Trimble said that the band had started working on their third album. He also shared that the band had left their old record label, Kitsuné, and signed with Parlophone Records.

The band performing in Singapore in 2017

Gameshow Album (2016–2019)

In January 2016, the band hinted that new music, likely their third album, would be released that year. On April 4, 2016, they announced on Twitter that their third album, Gameshow, was finished.

The album artwork was revealed on June 14, 2016. On the same day, a new song from the album, "Are We Ready? (Wreck)," was first played on BBC Radio 1. The band also released "Bad Decisions" and the title song "Gameshow" before the album came out. Gameshow was officially released on October 14, 2016.

Halliday performing with the band in Singapore in 2017

False Alarm Album (2019)

In February 2019, the band posted a teaser video online, suggesting a fourth album was coming soon. On March 18, 2019, Two Door Cinema Club released "Talk," the first song from their fourth album.

On April 24, 2019, the band released "Satellite" and announced the new album, False Alarm. They released two more songs, "Dirty Air" and "Once," before the album was released on June 21, 2019.

Keep On Smiling Album (2022)

On June 16, 2022, Two Door Cinema Club released "Wonderful Life," the first song from their fifth album, Keep On Smiling. "Lucky" was released as the second song on July 28.

The album was released digitally on September 2, 2022. A special limited edition of 5,000 vinyl records was released later in November.

Other Projects

In July 2012, Alex Trimble sang "Caliban's Dream" at the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. He said that filmmaker Danny Boyle chose him to sing at the event. Alex Trimble has also worked as a producer for other bands, like Anteros.

Band Members

Alex Trimble – lead singer, rhythm guitar
Sam Halliday – lead guitar, backup vocals
Kevin Baird – bass guitar, synthesizers, backup vocals

Touring Members

Benjamin Thompson – drums
Jacob Berry – rhythm guitar, synthesizers, backup vocals

Albums Released

Tourist History (2010)
Beacon (2012)
Gameshow (2016)
False Alarm (2019)
Keep On Smiling (2022)

Awards and Recognition

In December 2009, Two Door Cinema Club was featured in the BBC's "Sound of... 2010" list. This list highlights new artists expected to be popular.

Tourist History won the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year in 2011. The band said it was their first award. They gave the prize money to Abaana, a charity from their hometown in Northern Ireland. Two Door Cinema Club also won the Breaking Woodie award from mtvU.

Their songs have also been popular on the Triple J Hottest 100 radio countdown in Australia:

"Undercover Martyn" (2010)
"I Can Talk" (2010)
"Sun" (2012)
"Sleep Alone" (2012)
"Changing of the Seasons" (2013)

Two Door Cinema Club has received several nominations for NME awards:

In 2011, they were nominated for Best New Band and Tourist History for Best Album.
In 2012, they were nominated for Best Live Band.
In 2014, they were nominated for Best British Band.

Concerts and Tours

Two Door Cinema Club has opened for many other bands, including Phoenix and Metronomy. They toured the UK and Ireland after Tourist History was released in 2010.

The band has played at many big music festivals around the world, such as:

iTunes Festival
T in the Park
Reading Festival and Leeds Festival
Oxegen
Splendour in the Grass (Australia)
Glastonbury Festival
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (USA)
Isle of Wight Festival
Lollapalooza

In 2011, they toured the U.S. and Canada with Tokyo Police Club. They also played shows in South Africa in 2012. In 2013, they had a big UK tour, including a sold-out show in Dublin and a concert at London's Alexandra Palace.

In 2022, the band had to cancel some tours in Europe and North America. This was because Kevin Baird, the bassist, needed to deal with some health issues.

Two Door Cinema Club in Pop Culture

Movies and TV Shows

Many of Two Door Cinema Club's songs have been used in movies and TV shows:

"Something Good Can Work" and "Do You Want It All" were in the 2011 film Chalet Girl.
"This is the Life" was featured in the 2011 film Soul Surfer.
"Do You Want It All?" was in an episode of Teen Wolf.
"What You Know" was in Dynamo: Magician Impossible.
A remix of "Sun" was used in the 2013 film Now You See Me.
"Bad Decisions" was in the 2016 film The Edge of Seventeen.
"Something Good Can Work" appeared in The Inbetweeners.
"What You Know" was used in Extra Gear, My Kitchen Rules, and The Vampire Diaries.
"You're Not Stubborn" was in Grey's Anatomy.
"Come Back Home" and "I Can Talk" were in The Russell Howard Hour.
"What You Know" was used as background music for a news show in Chile.

Commercials

Their songs have also been used in advertisements:

"Something Good Can Work" and "Undercover Martyn" were in TV ads for Vodafone.
"Sleep Alone" and "Next Year" were played in Hollister Co. stores.
"This Is The Life" was in commercials for Debenhams.
"What You Know" was in TV ads for Telkomsel Loop and Indomie Kuliner Indonesia in Indonesia.
"Something Good Can Work" was in ads for Fat Face and for the Northern Ireland Executive.

Video Games

You can find their music in video games too:

"What You Know" was a free download on Tap Tap Revenge 3 and appeared in other Tap Tap Revenge games.
"Undercover Martyn" was on the soundtrack of Gran Turismo 5.
"I Can Talk" was in FIFA 11 and NBA 2K11.
"You're Not Stubborn" was in Kinect Adventures!.
"Sleep Alone" was on the soundtrack of FIFA 13.
A remix of "Something Good Can Work" was in SSX and Forza Horizon.
"Are We Ready? (Wreck)" was on the soundtrack of FIFA 17.
"What You Know" was in the online mode of Guitar Hero Live.

Radio

"What You Know" is used as the theme music for the BBC Radio 4 show It's Not What You Know.