Standing towards the back of the room, I think the most common phrase I heard all evening was “facking hell…” Last Apollo have true-blood rock and roll flowing through their veins, but there is a considered, orchestrated approach towards the songs that is a welcome renaissance from bashing guitars and cement-mixer lyrics. From guitar licks reminiscent of The National, to vocal melodies that Faye O’Rourke of Soda Blonde would be jealous of, to tempo changes and time signature swaps, Last Apollo delivered rock and roll for musos.

Opening the show was alt-folk songwriter and producer Evie. From the beginning of her set, it was clear the audience was there for music. The room felt full, or at least it was, by the end of her opening song. She delivered a haunting set, managing to maintain a lo-fi sound despite being joined by drums, bass, electric guitar and fiddle. She gently eased the audience into a calm wave of awkward, but beautiful songwriting with elements of Radiohead and Arlo Parks probably the most prominent throughout the set. As someone said just behind me, halfway through her debut single ‘Famous Behaviour’, “she’s such a queen, isn’t she?” Indeed.

Credit: Dylan George Burns

When Last Apollo took to the stage, the room quickly turned to the stage. I was aware of the following Apollo had built - I had seen them numerous times over the past couple of years, constantly getting better and better live, but I was slightly taken aback when I found myself leaning against the bar at the back of the crowd in the lengthy venue. Easing us in with ‘Moonboots’ there was an excitement that radiates only from a cult following. Lucy Rice, in particular, didn’t just deserve this respect, she has grafted for it.

By their second song, Last Apollo had the 250-strong crowd bouncing to the up-tempo self-love anthem, ‘Bob Ross’. Síofra Maurhofer’s laid back rhythm guitar playing is, simply put, shit cool. Rice’s voice is massive. It filled the entire room - nay, it commanded the entire room. For someone so small in stature, it consistently shocks me at how large her voice is. Launching into ‘Steady Eddie’, Rice reminded the audience of its hook - “walk free.” Throughout the song, I was reminded of how I felt at one of Damien Dempsey’s shows in Vicar Street last December. It was the same empowering feeling. Each one of us in the crowd were attending a spiritual event.

After performing ‘Lucy’s Song’, and reminding us that it was the first song she had ever written making every songwriter in the room feel talentless for about four minutes, Rice was joined on stage by cellist Alex Durand. Stepping away from behind her bass guitar and finding her way in behind the keyboard, the Last Apollo two-piece immediately turned a beautifully chaotic atmosphere, into an intimate and wholesome one. ‘Moonlight’ and ‘Awaiting Robins’ were delivered with the same passion and vocal style we had come to expect of Rice, before she joined the crowd herself to deliver a remarkable cover of This Is The Kit’s ‘Bashing Out’, elevated by her band’s harmonies, now standing under low-light on the stage.

Credit: Dylan George Burns

As the band rejoined Rice and Durand, former Strypes and Zen Arcade man Pete O’Hanlon made his way from behind the merch stand to step in on bass, looking like a 1970s gameshow host in his usual Dr. Feelgood swag. Now a seven-(SEVEN) piece band, the crowd were reintroduced to the utter size of Last Apollo's sound with ‘Dandelion’ - a new track demonstrating Rice’s effortless vocals, never faltering as she hopped and leaped around the stage. Peter McMahon on the keys played in a way that Rice could almost croon to. By the time Apollo launched into ‘High’ (always a crowd-pleaser), the audience were back bouncing around the room.

The moment of the night, however, was ‘Silt’, which Rice preluded by announcing that the band had first heard the song the day before the gig. Yes - the day before the show. It was their most accomplished, awe-striking track of the night. The kind of song Elbow would wish they had written. Naoise May’s incredibly intelligent guitar playing and electro-sounding licks only further supported the claim that he is one of the best lead guitarists on the Dublin live circuit at the moment. Sam Armstrong’s drumming was the work of a percussionist who had sat with a song for months, perfecting grooves, fills and dynamics. He had a day. 'Silt' was a terrific example of Apollo's approach to music - a well crafted and orchestrated symphony.

Credit: Dylan George Burns

“The encore is like peekaboo for adults” Rice joked as she pulled out a fiddle for their final track of the night - playing a Frames-era Colm Mac Con Iomaire-style riff over an addictively, groovy track (hell yeah, dude.) If you’re lucky enough to experience it live, it demonstrates everything the project is about. It’s dramatic, it’s powerful, it’s an anthem - but it’s also bloody good fun. Rice launched herself back into the middle of the crowd, conducting us, and we responding with all our enthusiasm and admiration.

Last Apollo put on a performance that could widen the smile of a Cheshire cat. But more importantly, the Dublin five-(one-four-two-seven?)-piece remind people of the light. They deliver powerful anthems in a raucous but considered manner. Their choruses become mantras. In the midst of a darkness that our generation experiences, Last Apollo is a satellite floating around Dublin casting beams of light on us all.

Last Apollo play Wild Roots on 3rd June and the Otherside Festival in July.