Picture This review: Athy favourites get Marquee 2025 off to flying start in Cork
Lead singer Ryan Hennessy and bass player Cliff Deane of Picture This performing at the opening night of Live at the Marquee Cork. Picture: Darragh Kane
The clouds were rolling in over Cork, but the vibe was all sunshine and lollipops as the crowds ambled towards the iconic Marquee tent for the first of two homecoming gigs from Picture This.
Some 20 years ago, Beach Boy Brian Wilson opened the very first Live at the Marquee with his debut Cork show in 2005.
On Wednesday, the Athy pop-rockers stepped into that legacy with the first of two sold-out gigs — bringing their signature mix of stadium-sized emotion and small-town charm back to a stage that's helped define their journey.
It was a fitting band to keep those Good Vibrations going.
Inside the tent, Gen Alpha and Gen Zs in festival fits mingled with Millennials, with a few Gen Xers dotted about — highlighting the multigenerational appeal the band has quietly cultivated since their 2015 viral debut.
Picture This first headlined the Marquee in 2017, selling out both nights, and even played a Cork wedding that same summer after a bride-to-be cheekily propositioned them during a fan Q&A.
You can’t say they’re not a band of their word.
Another sell-out on Thursday, and the atmosphere was electric, the energy dialled up to the max.
'Are you ready for the best night of your lives, Cork?' frontman Ryan Hennessy roared, and is left in no doubt of the answer.
Plus the crowd had a brand new floor to stomp their feet on — perhaps a birthday gift? With this tarmac, Mr Aiken, you are spoiling us.
Though Picture This are by now regulars on Irish stages, this gig felt more reflective, more celebratory.
With their 2023 album still in rotation and rumours of new music in the pipeline, this set played like a love letter to their fans and a flex of their maturing sound.
The pacing, the interaction, the stage production, it was all pitch perfect.
Not even an impromptu 'Olé Olé Olé' from the crowd threw them off their beat.
They kicked off with a soaring an arms-aloft statement of intent, and from there, the emotional hooks kept coming.
The setlist is heavy on fan favourites, with Hennessy working the crowd with his signature mix of sincerity and swagger.
He reminisced about other Cork gigs, riffed with the crowd, continuously thankful for the energy in the room and — more than once — seemed genuinely moved by the raptuous reception.
It was a high-energy, emotionally engaging experience that bridges the gap between stadium-scale anthems and intimate crowd connection.
Ryan Hennessy’s vocals were on point, his bopping stage presence magnetic, and the band leaned into the unique closeness the Marquee offers —turning the tent into a sing-along sanctuary.
Picture This return to the Marquee on Thursday night for round two — likely just as loud, loquacious and loved. A band on fire, and so in tune with their fans.
Next up on the Marquee calendar: The Coronas and Christy Moore, followed by a change of pace with comedian Dara Ó Briain.
It’s shaping up to be a summer to sing about in Cork. Wilson would approve. Here’s to the next 20.
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