It’s definitely a sign of a great show when you can’t tell if the band or the audience are having a better time, but that was the case with Walking On Cars at The Olympia. To say the pop-rockers brought the goods would be an understatement.
The Dingle-based five-piece garnered deafening screams from the teenage hordes (and more restrained appreciation from the older fans) on their big hits, which lend themselves to the live setting beautifully.
Lead singer Patrick Sheehy masterfully orchestrated audience singalongs and whenever he stepped away from the mic there was no doubt that everyone in attendance would fill in whatever gaps he was leaving them. Praise is also due for getting roughly 99% of attendants to leave their phones untouched when clapping along with the tunes.
‘Hand in Hand’ and ‘Always Be With You,’ two of the band’s newer singles, had the crowd especially roused. During a medley which found them trying to fit as many snippets of other pop songs in as possible (including ‘In Da Club,’ ‘Where Is the Love’, ‘Kids’, ‘Impossible’, and more, miraculously), they kept the audience guessing and excited for each new turn the number took.
The show’s quieter moments, though, may have been the most memorable. A moody cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’ with an explosive climax had the crowd spellbound, while a solo ‘Coming My Way’ by Sheehy on piano silenced the theatre. When bassist Paul Flannery, pianist Sorcha Durham and lead guitarist Dan Devane emerged midway through the latter and gathered around a single mic for harmonies, the effect was mesmerising.
Throughout, the band was in high spirits, dancing around during songs and making jokes between them, connecting with each other as much as they did with the audience. You can tell they’re a tight-knit bunch who love doing what they do and by the time they took a group bow at the end, you’d be pressed to find anyone in attendance that wasn’t glowing.
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