IT WAS one of last year's biggest albums, but the heart of Two Door Cinema Club's second record Beacon lies in a house in Cardonald.

That's where the Irish trio – singer Alex Trimble, guitarist Sam Halliday and bassist Kevin Baird – holed up to work on new songs, far from where anyone could hear them, before heading to Los Angeles.

"We did the initial writing for the album in Cardonald, where we lived for a bit," explains Kevin, who heads back to Glasgow next week for a gig at the Barrowland.

"It was like we got all the pieces of the puzzle in Glasgow, and then put them together in LA. We have a lot of friends who left Ireland to study in Glasgow and then stayed there, so we have a lot of friends in the city.

"We also aren't able to write in London very well, there was too many prying eyes and people wanting to hear everything so we wanted to get away from our label, our agents and our managers. We love the city and Sam's girlfriend lived there, so it was pretty good for him!"

The result was Beacon, another dose of high energy indie dance pop that went into the charts at No 2. Such a high chart placing showed how things have changed for the trio, who saw debut record Tourist History eventually go gold, but only after touring across the world.

The shows paid off, but at a cost. Kevin says: "We've lost a lot of close friends and girlfriends, there's been a lot of casualties along the way, but we're still loving it.

"Distance has ruined a lot of romantic relationships, and in terms of friends there are people who would call you up for a chat and not mention Two Door, they just want to chat to you personally, which is great.

"But then there's the ones who you never hear from but they ask for guest-list all the time."

The band have clearly had some growing up to do. Yet when it comes to feeling the pressure of being pop stars they seem mature beyond their years.

"Being in Glasgow and away from London helped us avoid feeling pressure," explains the bassist.

"As much as the first album was successful, it wasn't a massive instant success and we weren't the band that everyone was talking about.

"We were doing well and selling records but building our fan base steadily, so we didn't have that massive hype that other bands get."

What's also unusual is how the band have cracked foreign markets so well.

They are stars in America, Australia and throughout Europe, while a tour of South America is slated for the spring. It's a contrast to many bands who struggle for success beyond their home turf.

Kevin says: "Musically we're very accessible.

"People can listen to our music and they won't know where we're from, whether that's America or the UK or Ireland.

"Secondly it's because we've gone to these places. A lot of the time bands will say other cultures don't get it but that's because they've not built a fan base there by gigging.

"If you keep coming back to those cities then you can build a relationship there, whether it's Paris, Sydney or Rio De Janeiro."

And next up on their worldwide jaunt is the Barrowland.

"It's one of those places where it feels big, but is so intimate at the same time.

"We've always had a great time wherever we play in Glasgow but Barrowland is special."

l Two Door Cinema Club, Barrowland, Tuesday February 5, sold out, 7pm