Live Report: Florence Road shine in homecoming gig at 3Olympia Theatre

It’s nearly impossible to miss rock’s latest rising stars, Florence Road. Fresh from touring with The Last Dinner Party on their North American run, the four-piece Irish band have already shared stages with Wolf Alice, Sombre, and Olivia Rodrigo. They also played at Hot Press' History In The Making: The Concert this February and haven’t slowed down once over the past two years.

Originally from Bray and made up of childhood friends Lily Aron, Emma Brandon, Ailbhe Barry, and Hannah Kelly, the band first gained attention after their song `H'eavy' went viral on TikTok.

Florence Road at 3Olympia Theatre on May 27th, 2026. Copyright Jason Doherty/www.hotpress.com

Last year, they played a sold-out show at The Academy. This year they return to Dublin at the 3Olympia Theatre, again sold out. The main difference: last year’s setlist leaned on a variety of covers, whereas this year's is entirely original material. With no full album released yet, much of it remains unreleased.

That didn’t stop Florence Road from delivering a smashing show, made all the more impactful as it marked the final night of their European tour. As an audience member, you could feel both the relief and catharsis from the band members, visible in their occasional tearful moments and in the clear joy they took in simply being on stage.

Florence Road at 3Olympia Theatre on May 27th, 2026. Copyright Jason Doherty/www.hotpress.com

The Olympia has not been spared by the heatwave. Still, the atmosphere is already buzzing and opener For Nina only pour more fuel on the fire with sharp drums and a powerful vocal presence.

Then, under flashing lights, Florence Road take to the stage and open with an unreleased track that leads straight into ‘Figure It Out’, a guitar heavy, grunge-tinged rock song whose chorus feels made to be shouted back in a room like this.

The stripped back stage setup on it gives each member space to stand out. Lily Aron is a captivating frontwoman, dancing freely and delivering lines with pure emotion. Bassist Ailbhe Barry is wearing a constant bright smile. Emma Brandon is fully immersed in her playing, locked into every tune and drummer Hannah Kelly is effortless as she switches between the drumset and the keyboard.

Florence Road at 3Olympia Theatre on May 27th, 2026. Copyright Jason Doherty/www.hotpress.com

The short pauses between songs create a fast-moving set. ‘Heavy’ in particular resonates strongly with the crowd, its themes of unresolved emotion landing clearly. ‘Tell me, tell me it’s not that heavy / Lie to my face and beg me not to cry,’ echoes through the room.

It's followed by an interlude into the emotional piano led ballad ‘Rabbits Can Swim’. The moment of quiet does not last long as the unreleased ‘How Does It Make You Feel’ brings the energy back up again.

The fact that the set is largely made of unreleased material doesn’t disrupt the flow, as the audience seems to know all the lyrics regardless. In an era dominated by streaming, it’s an impressive achievement that they can draw fans to songs that exist only as live recordings on YouTube.

Florence Road at 3Olympia Theatre on May 27th, 2026. Copyright Jason Doherty/www.hotpress.com

Florence Road are in constant exchange with their audience. This is evident, for example, when they respond to a fan holding up a poster requesting ‘Another Seventeen’, one of their earliest tracks. The song itself is characterised by hard-hitting instrumentation and a deep, driving bass line, making everyone jump.

The band’s chemistry is marked by small joking interactions. Near the end, a coordinated fan initiative where the crowd holds up signs reading “We’ll always miss you when you’re not here” almost brings Aron to tears. The encore finishes the job, making that emotion fully visible, a sweet moment for a band that are still so young.

The band leave the stage watched by a crowd that feels fully convinced they have just seen a band on the edge of something much, much bigger.