But like no other Irish outfit in recent memory, Kodaline appear to have filled a void in the market for well turned-out, accessible, indie-pop, capturing the hearts of a generation of twenty-somethings into the bargain.
Greeted like the hometown, homecoming heroes they clearly are tonight, the Swords four-piece take to the Dame Street stage to screams, cheers and general mayhem, as they launch straight into the gradually building opening salvo, ‘After The Fall’, which ignites in a crescendo of voices, guitars and excited audience participation. “Dublin, how’s it going?” beams frontman Steve Garrigan when the roars of appreciation finally die down, casting any modesty to the wind by adding: “This gig sold-out in two minutes!” Launching into the first of many mass sing-alongs, a crowd favourite ‘Brand New Day’ is one of their best songs, combining a memorable guitar motif, mid-tempo rhythm and soaring melody. The nostalgic, ‘Way Back When’ – “a song about growing up” – is equally impressive in its ability to wrench maximum response.
It’s a slick performance, fine-tuned and machine-tooled, the sound perfect, the harmonies pristine and every stage movement rehearsed, and aided by an impressive light show. There’s a spontaneous note when they busk a few bars of ‘Dirty Old Town’ before launching into ‘Love Like This’. There’s plenty of, “Dublin you’re amazing” and “anyone here from Swords” type banter from the stage and predictably the roof almost lifts-off during their best-known song, ‘High Hopes’. But they impress all the more with an a capella version of Sam Cook’s classic ‘Bring it On Home To Me’ before bowing out with the anthemic balladry of ‘All I Want’, the copious “oh, oh, oh, oh, oh’s” providing the crowds with yet another reason to let their voices be heard.