Live Review: Walking on Cars at Royal Hospital Kilmainham

It’s been over a year now since Kerry natives Walking on Cars released their much-anticipated first album Everything this Way. The only album in 2016 to earn double-platinum status in Ireland, Everything this Way cemented the status of Walking on Cars as the next big thing, though they’d already gained a massive following without even releasing a full album yet. With a summer gig at Kilmainham, the question was whether or not the same massive following they'd earned in their earlier years was staying loyal as they waited for album two to drop.
Kicking off the gig with “Ship Goes Down” Patrick Sheehy’s keeping it casual, pacing the stage in a hoodie and a beanie slouching off his head. Sorcha Durham’s ethereal vocals back him up from where she stands behind the keyboard, and the anthemic melodies the band are know for reach across the grounds of Kilmainham even as the rain starts to fall.
Unfortunately, given the headlines that come through the news constantly these days, Sheehy does feel the need to talk about “the crazy fucking world” we’re living in, and he does so with an inspirational speech that sounds like it comes straight out of a movie. “It’s times like these that we’ve got to stick together, we’ve got to stand up, and we have to continue to live, we have to continue to dream. And when you put everything into what you dream of, then nothing can stop you!” Then, of course, it’s right back into the thundering chords and drumbeats of “Nothing’s Impossible,” and if that doesn’t inspire you to get shit done, I don’t know what will.
The band also takes the welcome opportunity to test out some new material from their upcoming new album, which is still in its early stages, according to the band. Still, “Coldest Water” is a definite standout that should amp up the anticipation for album two.
They’ve only been out for about an hour or so when they duck off stage for an encore. The band doesn't leave the stage too long though, and we all know they’re gonna come back anyway, the show isn’t over yet. While it’s technically an encore of about five tunes, there isn’t much suspense. At least Sorcha Durham has swapped out her blue kimono for one bedazzled in sliver sequins. Other than that, the gig continues like the band never left. With two more never-before heard tunes (it is kind of special to be the audience who gets to hear a song live for the first time) the energy was staying high even time was running out and the sunlight over Kilmainham was beginning to fade.
But the night still isn’t quite over. For bands like Walking on Cars, there’s always that one song that’s kind of the elephant in the room, or in the context of the rain-drizzled outdoor venue at Kilmainham, the elephant in the field. In this case, it’s the band’s single “Speeding Cars”, which is arguably their most famous tune, with tens of millions of streams online and counting. So when they make it three songs into their encore and the audience still hasn’t heard that piano intro yet, they know what’s coming next. After hearing Sheehy, and those at the front of many other bands call for audience participation, it’s easy to forget why they’re trying to get everyone to sing along, to forget the kind of effect you can get when a massive crowd of people sing the same melody. But it works this time, and for the grand finale, the band and the crowd go all out with a massive rendition of “Speeding Cars”. Walking on Cars have already got more than a gig’s worth of material under their belt, but their set at Kilmainham proved they’re just getting started. Expect even more from album two.