The venue darkens with only a smoky hue of blue light as The Rolling Stones’ ‘Satisfaction’ blares over the loudspeakers. The four Dublin lads who make up The Riptide Movement position themselves on stage, as the house lights rise, a large white banner drops consisting of TRM in huge black letters. The opening track, ‘Hot Tramp’ is welcomed by a chorus chanting, foot stomping, raucous enthusiasm. It’s easy to see how this band has built a reputation as one of Ireland’s best live acts, with regular performances on the festival circuit both at home and around Europe. This has clearly helped to hone their skills as showmen.
“It’s fucking amazing to see you all”, frontman Mal Tuohy tells us before launching into their latest single, ‘Hard to Explain’. This is followed by the introduction of live brass and female backing vocalists for an energetic rendition of the swampy, blues-rock inspired ‘Warming Up The Band’. Drummer, Gar Byrne sits behind his kit like a kid on Christmas morning, wearing a wide smile complimented by a red dicky bow and matching braces. These guys love what they do and the fans are just as happy to be there to share the experience. Tracks from their upcoming album like the catchy ‘Animal’ and ‘You and I’ are positively received, while the warm, optimism of ‘It All Works Out’ embraces us like a musical hug. The audience revel in being the human string section for ‘Thieves In The Gallery’. The band jump with triumphant fist pumps as the crowd fill in the string melody with ‘do do dee dee’ making this a fan favourite.
An unexpected highlight is their reinterpretation of Beyoncé’s ‘Halo’. The new rock arrangement has the band’s signature rough edges and solid chord progressions while maintaining the sense of melody of the original. Elsewhere, the blistering guitar intro to ‘In The Eye Of The Storm’ and the call-and-response chorus of ‘Shake, Shake’ elevates the already excited crowd.
As the night wraps up, Tuohy indulges in what was probably his boyhood rock star fantasy by telling his fans, “we love every fucking last one of you” just as multi-coloured confetti is scattered throughout the venue. ”Keep keepin’ on, I’m going to miss you when your gone” is fed back to the stage, even after the band have left. This is the finale that the TRM fans have been waiting for and they are not disappointed.

Check out Anna Kerslake's gallery of live shots, here.