With a date at Dublin's 3Arena on May 23rd, along with headline shows in Cork on the 21st and Belfast on June 21st, it came as no surprise that Walking on Cars sold out their intimate Whelan's gig soon after it was announced.

After the massive success that came from their debut album Everything This Way which sold 325,000 copies and led to a slew of sold-out dates across Europe, their latest single 'Monster' was released in December. The anthemic track heralds the band's new album, Colours, due to land on April 12th.

Ahead of the gig the band promised fans would have a rare opportunity to hear their new material live and they didn't disappoint. Tracks from Colours were interspersed with hits from Everything This Way when they took the stage in the packed out venue. Opening with "Hand in Hand", the set featured two new songs in addition to well-loved classics such as' Catch Me If You Can' 'Love Backs Down', 'Tick Tock', 'Don't Mind Me' and, of course, their breakout hit 'Speeding Cars'.

There's certainly something about the intimate nature of Whelan's that suits Walking on Cars, and their genuine connection with the fans was evident on the night. Five years have passed since the band played at the venue for the Red Bull Sessions, as lead singer Patrick reminisced, and fans who recalled that night were amongst the crowd on Monday. But since then they've built up a massive following, audible as the crowd chanted lyrics from every released song back to them. Personal, passionate and playful, if this gig - or their performance at the 2fm Xmas ball in December-  is anything to go by, their headline shows this summer are going to be phenomenal.