Two Door Cinema Club are an indie rock band from Bangor and Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed in 2007, the band is composed of band members: Sam Halliday (lead guitar, backing vocals), Alex Trimble (vocals, rhythm guitar, beats, synths) and Kevin Baird (bass, backing vocals). They are signed to French record label Kitsuné Music, through whom they released their debut album, Tourist History on 1 March 2010. It won the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2010 the following year.
Trimble and Halliday first met while attending Bangor Grammar School, and met Baird when he was trying to "get with" girls they knew. The band's name came about after Halliday mispronounced the name of the local cinema, Tudor Cinema. In 2007, Two Door Cinema Club was formed, and following an increased interest in their music on their MySpace page, they gave up their university places and began work on studio material. An EP entitled Four Words to Stand On was released in January 2009 and was positively received by critics. A number of music blogs featured articles about the band and their popularity increased. In July 2009, Two Door Cinema Club began recording their debut album at Eastcote Studios in London with Eliot James. In September, the band began mixing the record with Phillipe Zdar at Motorbass, his studio in Paris.
In December 2009, Two Door Cinema Club were featured in the BBC's Sound Of 2010 Poll, which was decided by 165 British "tastemakers".
In January 2010, Two Door Cinema Club announced the track listing and details of their debut album in an interview with NME. It was released on 26 February 2010 in the Republic of Ireland and on 1 March 2010 in the UK. The album, entitled Tourist History, was released in the USA on 27 April 2010. The album was also preceded by the singles "Something Good Can Work", "I Can Talk" and "Undercover Martyn" of which "Something Good Can Work" and "Undercover Martyn" featured on television advertisements for Vodafone and Meteor. "Undercover Martyn" also featured on the soundtrack of Gran Turismo 5 while "I Can Talk" is featured on the soundtrack of FIFA 11 & NBA 2K11. Moreover, "Something Good Can Work" and "Do You Want It All" were used in the 2011 film Chalet Girl. On 25 November 2010, the track "What You Know" was released as a free download on Tap Tap Revenge 3. "This is the Life" was featured in the 2011 drama film Soul Surfer.
On 18 January 2011, Two Door Cinema Club appeared on the American late-night talk show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, performing their song, "What You Know".
Tourist History was announced as the winner of the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2010 at Vicar Street on 3 March 2011. The band said it was the first award they had ever won. They donated the prize money to Abaana, a Northern Ireland based charity from their hometown. Two Door Cinema Club also won the Breaking Woodie from mtvU.
In 2010 Triple J Hottest 100, "Undercover Martyn" came in at number 21 and "I Can Talk" at number 72.
On the 6 April 2012, their official Twitter account tweeted that they had almost finished their second untitled album. They tweeted: "Lots of people asking about the new album. It's almost done! We're working on the 10th track at the moment. 2 more weeks and it'll be done!!" Jacknife Lee, producer for U2, REM, Snow Patrol and Bloc Party among others, is producing the album. On 20 June 2012, they announced Beacon, as their second studio album which will be released on 3 September 2012 in the UK, and the 4th September elsewhere.