THE PICTURE HOUSE

THE PICTURE HOUSE (Baggot Inn, Dublin)

THE PICTURE HOUSE trade in a punchy but breezy variety of pop/rock, not completely unlike Something Happens, but more akin to those antipodean rockers Crowded House.

Tonight they got things going with ‘Cup Of Life’, a catchy little ditty which set many a toe tapping, and was followed up jauntily by ‘World And His Dog’. This Dublin five-piece have a certain happy-go-lucky feel to their songs, even when they delve into post-relationship melancholy, like on ‘Empty Nest’.

In a bigger venue, ‘Not In This Lifetime’ would have been Zippo time, with cigarette lighters being brandished and waved with gusto to a song, brimming over with enough melody and heartbreak to satisfy even the most die-hard Bon Jovi fan. In fact, The Picture House’s slower, more sensitive material proved to be thoroughly well-crafted, lilting along very nicely indeed, thank you.

The faster numbers like ‘World-wide TV’ and ‘Don’t Believe Me’ are so instantly likeable that, while they might not set the world on fire, seem eminently capable of igniting a spark in more than a few hearts. ‘Fear Of Flying’ brought those Crowded House comparisons back into focus, complete with soaring harmonies a la les freres Finn. ‘Roll Over’ proved that The Picture House can let their hair down and rawk with equal aplomb, as did their manic version of ‘Back In The USSR’ . . .

Some of the songs were as comfortable as your favourite pair of jeans, and herein may lie The Picture House’s Achilles heel. Amiable as their music is, The Picture House may find it hard to convince people — and especially A&R scouts — who are on the look-out for something innovative.

Then again, Crowded House were confronted with the same problem — and look where they ended up.

• John Walshe