Kodaline Bring Dublin To Its Knees

"We're a band called Kodaline. We're going to play some songs for you," announces Steve Garrigan, with a humility that would enhance a band playing a tiny pub, never mind a sell-out show in a major Dublin outdoor venue.

Perhaps they can't quite believe it themselves. There is a fairytale quality to Kodaline's meteoric rise from television talent show also-rans to international superstars, and tonight's show at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, their first in Dublin since the release of their second album Coming Up For Air, is a homecoming. Here in front of thousands of fans is where the local lads made good are expected to deliver. Thus, when Kodaline kick off with 'Ready', it seems like a statement-of-intent - and one that could apply equally to the band and their audience. They are. And they are...

It's a glorious evening in Dublin. It seems not even the tricksy Irish weather would dare rain on Kodaline's parade. The grounds of the RHK are tightly packed. Since early evening the masses have been gathering. We've been kept entertained by great sets Little Hours and Hudson Taylor, both of whom held their own on stage. But, cometh the hour, there's no doubting who are tonight's main attraction.

Kodaline are in blistering form. The band start with earlier hits such as 'Love Like This' and 'Way Back When', and even at this early stage, the crowd doesn't need any encouragement to sing along.

Romance is in the air as 'The One' is dedicated to two friends of the band who got engaged earlier in the day. But as the sun dips down, love turns to sorrow and Kodaline shift gear. 'High Hopes' sounds spine-tingling in the twilight and you can feel the reverential current surge through the fans: this is a big song that will still be sung in twenty years time. And the set closes with a gloriously tragic 'All I Want', which is almost agonising in its intensity.

It is an emotionally powerful end to a thrilling night, on which Ireland's latest burgeoning superstar rockers made an unforgettable statement. The audience may be on their knees, but for Kodaline, the only way is up...