Walking On Cars at The Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Tuesday 20 October 2015

For any young Irish act, playing a night in the Olympia theatre is an accomplishment. Two is even more so. But, perhaps the most impressive accomplishment of all is that Walking On Cars have managed to do all this without even an album to their name.

That being said, there is a sense that the Dingle fivesome have something to prove tonight, a chance to solidify their standing and show that they deserve to be where they are today. And by all means, they do just that.

As Walking on Cars take to stage with the massive and rousing Tick Tock, the band’s immense likeability is immediately clear. From the get go, Patrick Sheehy’s voice is strong, and even when his stage presence veers into the slightly dodgy dad dancing territory, he’s simply a brilliant front man.

More than that, with the whole band visibly having a bit of craic onstage, there is a sense that even they can’t believe where they are and what they’re doing, and they’re determined to enjoy every second of it.

Despite a slightly slow start, Walking on Cars really kick things into gear with loud and atmospheric renditions of Always Be With You and Hand In Hand. Apart from a little slip where Sheehy’s microphone stops working, the band manage to pull of their Olympia gig without any (noticeable) hiccups. Even a new pop-medley (combining the likes of Jackson 5, Coolio, James Bay, Pia Mia and The Weeknd) is very effective, although it may not flow quite as well as their last one (a staple of the band’s previous shows).

As Walking on Cars’ star continues to rise, it’s next to impossible not to compare them to other, similar bands. There are a lot of similarities, most notably to the Coronas. Time after time Sheehy’s vocals are comparable to Danny O’Reilly’s, and the similar style of melodic rock is difficult to ignore.

But then again, the fact that Walking on Cars are not the most original band out there isn’t necessarily a deal breaker. They are taking on an already heavily saturated genre, and they’re doing it well. Very well in fact.