PICTURE THIS // O2 ABC, GLASGOW

PICTURE THIS BRING THEIR WORLD TOUR TO GLASGOW'S O2 ABC

PICTURE THIS - PERFORMING AT GLASGOW'S O2 ABC - 05/11/2017
PICTURE BY: ALEXANDROS COSTA PHOTOGRAPHY

★★★☆☆ (3.5/5)

For their third gig in Glasgow, Picture This played The Garage and packed it out. In an interview with Ryan Hennessy, the singer/songwriter and Jimmy Rashford, responsible for the rhythm/percussion for Picture This they informed me that they sold out the Glasgow show, it was evident on the night.

The two boys from Athy played with three other members on the night. This was slightly jarring as it was clear that the guests were session musicians and had no real enthusiasm for the crowd. However, Hennessy and Rashford were well amped up, interacting with the Glasgow crowd and telling stories about each song that was played. When talking to Hennessy I asked about his song writing methods, he replied explaining that his songs were all written in a short time.  He added “What makes our music relatable is that it’s simple and it works.” This was obvious on the night as the performance mirrored Hennessey’s statement as he was visibly in-tune with the crowd and his songs.        

The duo kicked off the night by playing ‘Let’s Be Young’ a popular song that set the relaxed and optimistic tone that is prevalent in all of the pairs songs. When talking about his style of music Hennessy said that he never enjoyed the fact that so many songs were sad and depressing and he is focused on making upbeat songs that were from a positive perspective. Around the halfway point the band and Rashford exited the stage, leaving the frontman to preform ‘Jane’ acoustically. This was a high point of the night as it felt the song fit with the lights, the crowd and ambience. It was a moment where there were minimal smartphones awkwardly stuck into the air, a song that seemed to connect with almost every member of the audience. It was an excellent performance that showed the power Ryan Hennessys’ voice.

The band then returned to the stage to preform ‘95’ and ‘Pretend’ which brought the crowd together. To finish the night, they played their hit song ‘Take My Hand’ which is currently sitting at over four million hits on Spotify. This fast-rising pop-rock duo seem to have ‘IT’ however an excellent second album will be crucial to keeping this band as popular as they are.

REVIEW BY: OWEN MELDRUM
PHOTOS BY: ALEXANDROS COSTA PHOTOGRAPHY