Picture This cement standing as Ireland's favourite band with rollicking Dublin gig
[rating]4[/rating]
Rags-to-riches stories don’t come more dramatic than that of Picture This.
The Athy, County Kildare band only formed in 2015 but played to packed houses from the outset.
That was largely down to the nagging catchiness of their debut single, Take My Hand – a surprise hit that conquered daytime playlists and then refused to go quietly into the night.
Rather than burn out and fade away Picture This have built consistently on that success and now copper-fasten their standing as Ireland’s favourite band that doesn’t have “U” and “2” in their name with a five-night residency at 3Arena.
The step-up to a 14,000 capacity space is daunting – a few days previously Picture This were headlining Manchester’s cosy Gorilla club – and not every group can make transition.
But Picture This have several things in their favour, starting with frontman Ryan Hennessy’s from-the-heart gusto.
Wearing a navy dress jacket and glittering ruby shirt, he clearly wasn’t interested in blinding us with fashion.
Instead, it was about connecting with his people, which he did from the outset.
He clenched his fists, waved to the punters at the back and didn’t make a face of the inevitable “ole ole ole” choruses broke out.
It also helped that, as Take My Hand announced, the band’s best songs are wickedly melodic.
Modern Love, the title track from Picture This’s recent second album, was Coldplay meets D’Unbelievables whilst the acoustic Hurt Nobody sweated melancholy.
Subtlety wasn’t in the quartet’s wheel-house - but why should it be?
This was a chest-thumping performance for an audience interested in booming hooks and super-sized emotions.
A rollicking encore rendition of Take My Hand brought the curtain down thunderously – though Picture This made it clear there is plenty more to come.
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