[LIVE] Two Door Cinema Club, Friends, St. Lucia @ The Palladium 10.25.12

Words: Danny Coviello || Pictures: Russ Ramos

♫ St. Lucia – We Got It Wrong

Thursday night at The Palladium was awesome. Three distinctly different acts yet three distinctly great sets. First to the stage was the ever so atmospheric St. Lucia lead by front man Jean-Philip Grobler. This was by far the biggest venue I’ve ever seen St. Lucia perform in yet there wasn’t an inch of space in the place that the their dreamy jams didn’t reach. From the opening piano note on “Before The Dive” to the outro chants on their new single “September”, St. Lucia was on point. While basically going through their self-titled EP on shuffle they also mixed in a few new tracks that sounded very promising. With strong performances of crowd favorites like “All Eyes On You” and “Closer Than This”, no one seemed the least bit disappointed they made it out early to Hollywood that night. By the end of the set, just like we all sang along on during “We Got It Wrong”, I’m sure everyone was thinking the same thing…Don’t go! Don’t go away!

♫ Friends – I’m Jay’s Girl (Jay-Zs Encore mashup)

Next up was Brooklyn based Friends. Boy was this a sight to see. One of those sets where you literally couldn’t take your eyes of the stage because you just didn’t want to miss what was going to happen next. With all five members dressed in outfits that were as loud as their music, Friends set was just as much aesthetically appealing as it was musically. Ranging in genres from tribal to pop to dance to rock, there wasn’t a dull moment while these passionate music makers were on stage. Especially with the likes of their androgynous human mascot, Sasha, running and dancing around like the queen of the night.  Let’s not overlook the musicianship that Friends demonstrated. Heavy bass lines, sweet synths, tribal percussions, and sturdy drums all made up was a solid performance by the eclectic group. Personal favorites were “I’m His Girl”, which got everyone bobbing their heads and shaking their shoulders, and “A Thing Like This”, which showcased lead woman Samantha Urbani‘s falsetto abilities.  With the way this genre-bending act drew everyone in a little closer, I think it would be safe to say that by the end of their set…we were all Friends.

♫ Two Door Cinema Club – Undercover Martyn

Last but definitely not least were the boys from Northern Ireland, Two Door Cinema Club. I’ve seen TDCC numerous times before and with each passing time their sound seems to get more and more defined and crisp. Thursday night at The Palladium was no exception. Crystal clear synths matched with high picking and fast strumming made for an audio eargasm for all to enjoy. Lead man Alex Trimble’s almost choir like vocals cut through the venue like a sharp knife through hot butter and at times tugged on heartstrings with passionate cries of joy. All while dancing around in a fashion that would make the likes of Brandon Flowers blush. The set list was pretty well split between their 2010 breakout album Tourist History and their newly released sophomore album Beacon. The whole set was a highlight real and I’m very confident when I say TDCC does not disappoint. Coming back out for a well deserved encore and ending the night with “What You Know” was the best icing on an already well frosted cake anyone could ask for. Great production, great sound, great performance, all made for a great headline set by the boys of Two Door Cinema Club. After the show Sam and Kevin from the group headed over to The Echoplex to perform a dj set which was a great way to keep those dancing shoes going just a bit longer on what was already a super fun school night.