If proof is needed of the impact on social media on the careers of pop musicians, then look no further than Picture This, a small town band that in the space of four years have gone from an uploaded song on Facebook to playing five consecutive nights at Dublin’s 3Arena.
In the autumn of 2015, Athy's Ryan Hennessy, an aspiring songwriter with little more than the Leaving Certificate to his name, asked a friend to video his acoustic performance of a recently written song, Take my Hand.
The initial viewing reach was a handful of people, mostly friends and acquaintances, one of the latter being fellow Athy musician Jimmy Rainsford. Rainsford, a professional musician taking some time off drumming in bands and working with various producers, messaged Hennessy, asking did he want to meet up in his studio (a kitted-out room in his parents' house) and see if they could turn the sparse tune into a proper pop song.
By May 2016, Picture This had announced their debut Irish tour, a 20-date trip around the country’s smaller venues that concluded on a high with three shows at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre.
All gigs had sold out within a month of being announced, an outcome that Hennessy and Rainsford attributed to the band's proactivity on various social media platforms. Come 2017, the band signed with Republic Records, home to the likes of Ariana Grande, Drake, Florence + the Machine, Lorde, The Weeknd, and Halle Steinfeld.
As social media ran in parallel with one of pop music’s principal rules (keep it simple), Picture This became a truly organic success story. Early songs such as Take my Hand, Let’s Be Young, Dream, You & I, Pretend, Saviour, and Jane (as well as the creative unfussiness of their first bunch of self-made videos), created a world that was as plausible as it was attainable.
It helped that the pair’s writing of virtually completed songs could be reached swiftly. “All of them are written in about five minutes,” said Hennessy of their strike rate, “so they’re immediate and conversational – and I don’t change them from when they’re written, which means people really know what I’m talking about.”
The band’s self-titled debut album was released in August 2017, and achieved triple-platinum status within weeks. If their detractors had thought the bubble was going to burst anytime soon, they were mistaken.
This said, their follow-up album, MDRN LV – released just over a month ago – is giving some people cause for concern. As can happen when a US-based major record label gets its hands on a young (though not necessarily inexperienced) group, what was held sacrosanct in the early stages of their existence can often be replaced with commercial strategies miles apart from former, possibly naïve objectives. The album, produced by Jayson Dezuzio (Dua Lipa, Julia Michaels), sees Picture
This recalibrate their once signature ‘keep it simple’ pop music and arm wrestle with the likes of Maroon 5, Imagine Dragons, and The Weeknd. Responses have been varied, from this newspaper describing it as “a pattern of emotional dead-ends” to the Sunday Business Post asserting it to hold “a batch of precision-built pop bangers”.
Whatever way it works out for Picture This, you can be assured they’re on their way to somewhere far removed from Co Kildare. The trick is to stay rooted while flying. We’ll see.
When are the gigs on? Picture This play 3Arena, Dublin on Wednesday, March 27th, Thursday, March 28th, Friday, March 29th, Saturday, March 30th, and Sunday, March 31st.
Are there tickets still avaialabe? There are but the gig on Saturday, March 30th is sold out. Head over to ticketmaster.ie
What time does everything kick off? Doors open each night at 6.30pm. Special guest Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi should be worth catching: his breakout hit, Someone You Loved, has been sitting at the top of the charts this last while. Opening the show will be Norwegian pop singer Dagny, who had some success with her debut single Backbeat. Stage times: Dagny: 7.30pm; Lewis Capaldi: 8pm; Picture This: 9pm
How do I get there? Parking is available in the Point Village car park (you can book through Ticketmaster for €12) but better to leave the car at home and use the red-line Luas and get off at Point stop, or take Dublin Bus No. 151 to Castleforbes Road, the closest stop to the venue.
What will Picture This play? Here's the setlist from from their gig on March 19th in Brighton:
- Modern Love
- If You Wanna Be Loved
- You & I
- Everything I Need
- Nevada
- Dance Away With Me
- Hurt Nobody
- Life Of The Party
- Addicted to You
- More Than Just Tonight
- Let's Be Young
- This Morning
- Never Change
- Everything Or Nothing
- Encore: Jane, One Drink, When We Were Young, Take My Hand
What about security? Bags will be searched at the door. Bottles, cans, selfie sticks, large umbrellas, iPads and other tablets, video cameras, professional cameras, audio recorders, GoPros, large posters (A3 or bigger), large flags on poles, belt chains, laser pointers and anything that can be deemed a weapon are prohibited. So pack light to keep the wait in line as short as possible.
Are there any age restrictions? Under 16s to be accompanied by parent/guardian. Standing strictly for over 14s only.
Accessible tickets For special needs, please check the venue information page for details of facilities and companion tickets. Should you require further information please call the Special Needs Hotline: 0818-903001 (Republic of Ireland); 0333-3219996 (Northern Ireland & UK); 00353-818-903001 (International)
Picture This play 3Arena, Dublin on Wednesday, March 27th, Thursday, March 28th, Friday, March 29th, Saturday, March 30th, and Sunday, March 31st.
