LIVE REVIEW: DEPOT in the Castle – Two Door Cinema Club, Cardiff Castle, 02/08/2026
Photo Credit: Lene Ray
Earlier in August we had the opportunity to attend Cardiff Castle to watch the Two Door Cinema Club ‘Tourist History 15th Anniversary Tour’, celebrating the record that first propelled them into the spotlight. Although the album was released more than fifteen years ago, its songs have lost none of their energy or popularity.
Since the release of Tourist History, they have released several successful albums and built a reputation for vibrant live performances that transform their instantly recognisable songs into huge crowd sing-alongs. We were so excited to attend and be part of one of these live shows.
On our arrival, it was a lovely warm summers evening and spirits were already high after support acts 3LIJAH and Friendly Fires had performed. That festival feeling was in the air and we noticed a varied range of ages had come to watch Two Door Cinema Club, from young children to old.
It was soon time for the band to come on stage and the crowd gathered excitedly wearing their merch and waving banners in the air to grab the bands attention. The band entered the stage with swagger and all dressed in suits. Alex Trimble of course took centre stage with his distinctive bright yellow guitar, Sam Halliday to lead guitar, Kevin Baird to bass and Ben Thompson to drums. They started off their set with Cigarettes In The Theatre from their debut album Tourist History. It was a good song to get the crowd jumping with hands in the air singing along and cheering.
The visuals were hypnotic, with a backdrop of screens playing psychedelic colourful images that lit up the stage and added to the atmosphere and energy of their performance.
By the time they began their next song I Can Talk, there was a beautiful golden glow filling up the castle grounds on to the audience as the sun set lower upon the venue and the castle itself which was also lit up with beautiful purple lights.
The band played Sure Enough, released as a standalone single in 2023. It was given its tour debut at Cardiff and introduced by Trimble as a ‘Cardiff exclusive’ which of course had the fans hyped and phones out recording to capture this exclusive they got to hear played live for the first time. The song had a very electric-pop retro feel to it with a mixture of their well known indie vocals which made it a huge hit with the crowd.
Throughout the evening, the band moved effortlessly between different stages of their career. Tracks including Come Back Home, Something Good Can Work, Sleep Alone, Bad Decisions and Undercover Martyn kept the momentum going, while the crowd barely stopped dancing. Each familiar opening riff was met with a roar of recognition with a shared sense of nostalgia across the castle grounds. Halliday’s precise guitar playing and Baird’s driving basslines perfectly complemented Trimble’s vocals, while touring drummer Ben Thompson brought an infectious intensity to the performance.
As the sun set and it became darker the visuals turned into a colourful neon cinema backdrop which looked stunning and captivating. The band were as energetic as they always have been with Trimble’s vocals being as impressive as ever and the band playing a tight and flawless set. They ended the night on an extended and most epic version of their most recognised songs What You Know which had everyone in a frenzy. The colourful light beams and the captivating backdrop all added to the energy and euphoria of the final song.
The combination of the castle surroundings, warm summer weather and colourful production made the concert feel like more than an ordinary tour date. It was both a celebration of the band’s past and a reminder of why their music continues to fill venues after so many years.
Photos and Words: Lene Ray
