LIVE: Picture This @ Electric Ballroom, Camden

If there is one band you should be going to see this year, it could be an Irish duo with a sold out UK and Ireland tour who have already established a large fan base even before they “drop” their debut album, Who this? Picture This.

If you have never heard of them it could be  because you are not following the latest trends on YouTube or Spotify. Or put another way you are not up with the kids. In a world where everything is easy to reach, simple to find and share, then bands like Picture This don’t need to have the backing of big labels to stand behind and promote their music because they can do it themselves.

The duo from Athy in the Republic of  Ireland  Jimmy Rainsford on drums and Ryan Hennessey, vocals and guitar, first caught the world’s attention in 2015 when an iPhone video of their very first composition Take My Hand went viral.  The story about endless love, dressed in acoustic guitars, and spiced up by game-changing drums generated 2 million-plus Spotify streams and over 2.4 million YouTube views. In 2016 the group’s independent self-titled EP took the internet by storm. They even surprised a couple on their wedding day by popping up and doing a live rendition at their reception.

Fast forward a year and they’re back with new material for their debut album, recorded in Nashville and ready to be released later this summer. Kicking off 2017, the boys won Best Music Act at the 2017 Gossies in Ireland and landed a deal with Island Records.

Following the release of their new single  Never Change, the show at Electric Ballroom in Camden was part of a sold out UK and Ireland 2017 tour. Heavily loaded with young fans the venue was filled with “emotional” excitement, the waiting over and Ryan and Jimmy take to the stage and the crowd of millennials and teens swoon.

Joined on stage by their lifelong friends Cliff Deane (Bass) and Owen Cardiff (Guitar) Picture This put on a “hell of a show”.  This average size Camden club feeling and sounding  like Wembley Arena. The band mixed their own material with casual talk making the audience part of their story and performance. Laughs and sing-a-longs were shared and the debut tune Take My Hand was sung by every member of the audience and led to endless ovations.

If you haven’t secured a ticket for this tour there is still a chance to see them live. This summer they will be playing at various festivals including London’s Citadel Festival, Reading and Leeds and Belsonic. They are ultra fun!

The opening act for Picture This at Camden’s Electric Ballroom was an enigmatic singer and songwriter THØSS. The artist made few jokes about his last minute arranged performance, claiming he got a phone call shortly before the gig, inviting him to play.  THOSS bought a simple and honest performance. A man and his guitar. Stripped down to emotions. He is definitely a dark horse and surely the world would be hearing much more from him.

Picture This live at Electric Ballroom, Camden, 18th May 2017
Photography and review by Edyta K