The Lumineers released their fourth studio album, Brightside, back in 2022 to hugely positive reviews. But would that translate into a great live show? We'd find out when they hit St Anne’s Park, Dublin, on Friday night.

The omens were good, with the sun – which had threatened to appear all day – finally burning through the cloud cover before opening act Vance Joy took to the stage.

Fans will recall that Vance shot to international fame in 2012, with his breakout song, ‘Riptide’. Over 10 years on, he is still building steadily.

“It’s great to be here on a beautiful day in Dublin,” he greeted the crowd of cheering fans who welcomed him onstage.

The 35-year-old Aussie opened with ‘Missing Piece’, kicking off the night in fine style.

Inevitably, he played ‘Georgia’, an acoustic ballad which references Ray Charles' song of the same name and already boasts more than 11million views on YouTube. Gently-caressed guitar accompanied Vance’s wistful, impressive vocals and at the end the audience response was heartfelt.

“Thank you” he yelled, before launching into ‘Saturday Sun’.

Trumpet was to the fore on ‘Fire And The Flood’ leaving the crowd awestruck. It was a beautiful moment.

The footballer-turned-musician finished his set with ‘Riptide’, and everybody joined in – a fitting end to a gorgeously mellow set.

Clad in her typical tee and jeans uniform, Sigrid took to the stage.

The Norwegian singer kicked off with ‘It Gets Dark’, and Sigrid’s enthusiasm immediately lifted the crowd, injecting a new kind of energy into the evening. She grinned and waved to the crowd as she sang, “It gets dark so I can see the stars.”

From there is was straight into ‘Burning Bridges’, followed by 'Sucker Punch'.

Sigrid supporting The Lumineers at St Anne's Park on June 2nd, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

“It’s great to be back!” she said and there was a pause... “I’m a little hungover from last night.”

She giggled at the crowd’s response before the opening bars of ‘Risk of Getting Hurt’ led into a series of hits including ‘Plot Twist’, ‘Head On Fire’ and ‘Don’t Feel Like Crying’.

“It’s good to be home,” Sigrid said, re-affirming her fondness for Ireland.

“I’ve never been in this park before – it’s so gorgeous!” she exclaimed. “Thank you to The Lumineers for having us!”

A moving rendition of ‘Mistake Like You’ – featuring a lovely guitar solo – was followed by ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’, ‘High Five’, and ‘Never Mine’.

She undid her ponytail and tossed her hair in preparation for her smash-hit, ‘Strangers’, letting the audience take over for the last chorus. Sigrid rounded off her set with ‘Mirror’, an upbeat, catchy, pop song of affirmation.

Sigrid supporting The Lumineers at St Anne's Park on June 2nd, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Finally, it was tine for The Lumineers. The outfit from Denver, who were also part of the class of 2012, filed out on stage, frontmen Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites taking their places front and centre.

Thee band's latest album, Brightside, is packed with upbeat, hook-laden songs, rooted in their characteristic Americana folk-pop sound.

Sporting his familiar cowboy hat, Schultz opened with the title track.

That done, Schultz called out to the audience.

“I’m gonna need your voices for this one,” he said, launching into the iconic single 'Hey Ho'.

“Long, as you run,” Schultz sang, encouraging the crowd to call back, “I couldn't give you up.” It worked a treat.

The Lumineers at St Anne's Park on June 2nd, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Carefully-plucked strings introduced new fan-favourite, ‘A.M. Radio’ also from Brightside – and the crowd chanted the track back in full-throated style.

Next up were ‘Dead Sea’ and ‘Flowers In Your Hair’.

“We started this together 18 years ago,” he began, “…there’s a line in this song, that’s pretty special to us.”

When the audience sang along again, the frontman removed his hat, bowing briefly before joining the crowd for the chorus.

The Lumineers at St Anne's Park on June 2nd, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

“The next song is based on the last few years,” the Colorado artist explained, touching on the Covid-19 pandemic. “To be enjoying a night out here together – we shouldn’t be taking this for granted.”

‘Where We Are’. ‘Slow It Down’. ‘Charlie Boy’. The 40-year-old delivered a soulful performance throughout, at one stage dramatically lying flat on his back, in the middle of the stage.

“Come on Dublin, make some noise,” Schulz roared. The crowd duly obliged.

The Lumineers at St Anne's Park on June 2nd, 2023. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Percussion took centre stage on 'Gloria' and the combination of piano and drums encouraged the crowd to let go of their inhibitions. The excitement was building.

Next up was a winning version of ‘Sleep on the Floor’.

“How you feeling Dublin,” Schultz asked, before powering into ‘Ophelia’, followed by ‘Leader of the Landslide’ and ‘Big Parade’.

“This is one of my favourite songs by The Cure,” he said by way of announcing ‘Just Like Heaven’ and the crowd responded by lighting thousands of phones as dusk fell.

“I wanna thank the amazing bands who started off. Make some noise for yourselves,” the Lumineers’ frontman yelled.

And suddenly we were all singing along to the last song of the night as The Lumineers’ rounded off what was the official first gig of Summer with ‘Stubborn Love’. It was a powerful way to end what had been a superb night's music.

Stream Brightside below: