Two Door Cinema Club @ O2 Apollo, Manchester, 27 Jan

Manchester’s O2 Apollo is heaving. Sundara Karma’s mix of jangly indie anthems and 70s bell bottoms ignites the young crowd, and the reception of their closing hit Loveblood demonstrates the value of a well-chosen support band. 

When the lights drop again, the irrepressible first few notes of Darude’s Sandstorm stutter out to a huge roar. Although it’s been four years since their last UK tour, Two Door Cinema Club clearly know their audience.

The set quite literally kicks off with Cigarettes in the Theatre; shoes go flying up to the circle, shortly followed by shirts and (possibly) beer. Backed by shimmering rectangular screens and stacks of spotlights, Two Door open solidly, launching into Undercover Marytn with explosions of smoke and confetti.

They move confidently into new tracks from last year’s Gameshow and their thorough embrace of 80s influences is electrifying. To the uninitiated, the funky beat, phased guitars and falsetto vocals of Bad Decisions could have seemed like a Whitney Houston cover, while Alex Trimble’s mic-pointing, gold-booted strut on Lavender is almost Prince-like. Behind him, the backing visuals create a mood of glitchy digital nostalgia as they morph between geometric shapes, computer script, and what appears to be a Window 95 screensaver.

The heart of the show lies underneath the spectacle, however, rooted in Two Door’s solid musicianship. On no song is this more apparent than Trimble’s solo rendition of Invincible, on which he delivers a stunning vocal performance that elevates the ballad into an unexpected highlight. 

As with most gigs, the response to new material is a little more tempered (Are We Ready sees a few mistimed moshpits), and Two Door stick largely to their biggest hits. But it’s clear that the band are here for the crowd ("What a fucking pleasure, Manchester!") and they are loudly – and deservedly – rewarded for it.