Long tipped as the next big thing from Ireland, Picture This have yet to make their breakthrough. The band’s lone London date must have felt cosy ahead of next week’s multiple arena shows back in Dublin.
If they fail to crack the UK, no one can accuse frontman Ryan Hennessy of not pulling his weight. Sporting a pink silk shirt, his flamboyant performance was perhaps accentuated by his thoroughly anonymous band mates.
Hennessy’s self-belief meant that Picture This just about got away with their lurch towards glossy grooves on new album MDRN LV. Shimmering tunes such as Nevada showed sonic progression, though at times this live production was suspiciously slick. When they reverted to soppy acoustic anthems from their debut, the lyrics were routinely chanted back at them. As a result, it was easy to get swept along with the giddy atmosphere during Let’s Be Young, Never Change and Jane.
After an hour of flailing dance moves and theatrical flourishes, Hennessy ended up in the crowd, stripped to the waist and clutching a tricolour flag. In the wake of the weekend’s Six Nations defeat, at least this felt like a famous victory for the Irish fans.
