The Feeling Live @ Whelan's, Dublin

Maroon 5, James Blunt and Savage Garden admirers clear space on your CD racks. Everyone else run for cover — The Feeling are going to be huge and you can do nothing about it. Advertising themselves as soft rock saviours and mothers of MOR, the London based five-piece roll into Whelan’s on the back of some notable UK radio success. Though Irish radio has evidently not yet caught on, it’s only a matter of time. Whelan’s is less than a third full but it’s clear the group’s outlandishly 80s hummable sound will weed its way into the mass consciousness come this summer’s Oxegen festival.
Counting Supertramp and The Carpenters amongst their influences, The Feeling come across live like an older generation McFly, all GHD straightened hair and pristine looks, while lead singer Dan Gillespie delivers hammy rockstar poses by the dozen. Opener ‘Helicopter’ is all soft rock shapes and 70s harmonic lifts, while ‘Rose’ is the token heartfelt ballad. They even close with an end of set clapalong and at times you feel like you’ve just walked into the yearly Childline gig. It really is that cheesy.
Credit where it’s due however. If it's MOR pop that floats your boat, then you’ll be hard pressed to find better. ‘Fill My Little World’, ‘Helicopter’ and ‘Sewn’ are all laced with girly harmonies and effective melodic hooks. As far as radio is concerned, there’s not a song in the set which wouldn’t make an effective single, and though they play only a nine song set, there’s absolutely nothing in the way of filler. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but you might as well get used to them.