Live Report: Delorentos, Leopardstown Racecourse

The Dublin Racing Festival could not have picked a better band to round out their first day than the capital's own Delorentos.

Taking to the main tent - beautifully decorated with multi coloured lanterns hanging from the ceiling - it wasn't long before the four piece's brand of alternative rock had chilly horse racing spectators warmed up. Soon into their set, attendees were singing along to the catchy choruses of The Killers-esque 'Bullet in a Gun' and the poppier 'SOS', clapping to slow build anthems 'Islands' and 'Little Sparks' and even dancing to the explosive crescendo of 'Dublin Love Song'.

Just like on their records, Delorentos imbued their likeable mainstream sound with an experimental edge. 'Petardu' in the flesh - with its delicate, lush acoustic guitar driven melody - evoked Arcade Fire. In complete contrast, the aggressive guitars, fast tempo and emotive delivery of 'Waiting' felt like it could have appeared on an early Bloc Party record.

Delorentos had real energy - bouncing around the stage, swapping vocalists and bantering with the crowd. They even took requests, playing track 'Stop' live for the first time in five years when a fan asked.

The high point of the show was the band's rendition of 'Home Again'. Recently selected by Tourism Ireland to lead a new global marketing campaign, one can see why. Its tight arrangement, soaring vocals and anthemic chorus sent everyone home in high spirits.

Delorentos revealed the show would be their last Dublin gig for a while, having toured to promote their most recent release - 2018's True Surrender. While its sad news, what a high note to end on.