Picture This Review: Addicts of Magic At Metro Theatre, Sydney

There are certain artists that soundtrack entire chapters of your life, and for me, Picture This will always be one of them.

Some artists come and go in your playlists, while others stay stitched into your memories forever. Picture This fall into the second category for me.

Their music soundtracked my late teens, late night drives in my car after just passing my test, messy nights out, heartbreaks, friendships and that strange in-between phase of life where everything feels both exciting and uncertain all at once.

So walking into Sydney’s Metro Theatre on Friday 22nd May to see them headline their very first Australian tour felt surreal, even if I’ve already seen them multiple times across Belfast, Dublin and London before this.

And somehow, despite seeing them four or five times already, they still managed to surprise me. If anything, they’ve only gotten better.

RELATED Picture This Concert Reviews to read:

• Gig Review: Picture This, o2 Academy, Brixton, London
• Belsonic Festival, Belfast: Picture This, Botanic Gardens
• Gig Review: Picture This, 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland

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Seeing Picture This in Australia

This show wasn’t part of a huge world tour or major album cycle. Instead, it was Picture This’ first official headline run across Australia and New Zealand, with stops in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth before heading onwards to New Zealand.

The Sydney show at the Metro Theatre was completely sold out, and while the room was packed from wall to wall by the time the band came on, I honestly left feeling convinced they could easily have sold out a much bigger venue.

The Enmore Theatre in Newtown, or the Hordern Pavilion could and should have been filled to the rafters with Picture This fans.

That’s partly what made the night a little emotional for me, in a strange way. I’ve been following Picture This for around eight years now, ever since I accidentally discovered them at Belsonic Festival in Belfast back in 2018.

I had tagged along with friends who were already fans, only really knowing “Take My Hand” at the time (like the rest of the country), and walked away wondering how on earth this band wasn’t already one of the biggest acts in Ireland.

Fast forward eight years later and I still feel exactly the same.

They have the songs, they have the charisma, they have the vocals, and Ryan Hennessy is genuinely one of the best frontmen I’ve seen live. And I’ve seen both Oasis and Kasabian live, so that’s saying something.

Yet somehow, Picture This still feel like one of music’s best-kept secrets outside of Ireland. But something inside me is screaming that they shouldn’t be secret at all.

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Arriving at the Metro Theatre

One thing I’ll say immediately about the Metro Theatre is how easy it is to get to as a venue.

Living in North Sydney now, it took me fifteen minutes door-to-door, which honestly feels luxurious after some of the marathon treks to Olympic Park for arena concerts recently.

We arrived right around 8pm, just as support act Sam McGovern was beginning his set, and there was almost no queue at all outside the venue.

Actually, the atmosphere outside was surprisingly quiet. If you were simply walking past the Metro Theatre on George Street, you probably wouldn’t have realised a sold-out concert was happening inside at all.

The venue slowly began filling up with groups of Irish expats, couples, groups of girls and friend groups all grabbing drinks before the main act came on.

One thing that was very noticeable almost immediately was how casual the crowd looked compared to the country concerts I’ve been attending recently. No cowboy hats, boots or Ringers Western attire in sight.

Just classic indie gig energy, which I didn’t realise I’d been missing.

Interestingly, crowd-wise, when we first arrived, I barely heard an Irish accent anywhere. But much like the recent Amble gig I attended in Sydney, the Irish crowd clearly likes to arrive as late as humanly possible.

By about 8:45pm, the Metro Theatre suddenly sounded a lot more like Dublin Airport departures, and we were all ready for Picture This to take off on stage.

Is the Metro Theatre the Perfect Venue?

One of the best things about the Metro Theatre is how intimate it feels no matter where you stand.

Unlike arena venues like the Qudos where distance can sometimes disconnect you from the performance, the Metro Theatre feels compact in the best possible way.

Even the tiered standing sections at the back somehow add to the atmosphere rather than taking away from it.

The acoustics inside the room were incredible too, and that’s always what makes or breaks a venue for me.

Every singalong bounced around the walls and came back even louder, proving the crowd had turned up and were here for a great night of singing their favourite Picture This songs. At points during the show, even the band themselves seemed genuinely impressed by how loud the crowd were singing back.

By the end of the night, the venue had developed that classic sweaty indie-gig atmosphere that somehow makes concerts feel even better.

Everyone was packed together, drinks in hand, screaming lyrics back at the stage like therapy was suddenly being administered via guitar riffs and Ryan Hennessy’s passionate vocals.

At different points in the night I found myself wanting to close my eyes and simply bask in the quality of the live vocals I was hearing, especially during the a cappella verse of “Go Gently.”

Goosebumps.

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Support Act: Sam McGovern

Australian support act Sam McGovern opened the night with a very relaxed, acoustic-driven set.

The contrast between him and Picture This was pretty noticeable. Sam’s performance leaned heavily into surfer-acoustic vibes, mostly just him, a guitar and a loop pedal, whereas Picture This bring much bigger indie-pop energy once they hit the stage.

That said, he was still enjoyable to watch.

He mentioned he had previously appeared on The Voice Australia, and came across as extremely grateful to be performing. There was something very easygoing about the whole set.

The crowd chatted occasionally throughout, but still listened respectfully, and his use of the loop pedal added more depth to the songs than you might expect from a solo performer.

Nothing massively stood out musically for me, but he did mention he’ll be hosting smaller backyard-style sessions around Sydney, and honestly that sounds like exactly the sort of setting where his music would shine best.

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Picture This Take the Stage

At 9pm sharp, the lights dropped.

The band walked out first before Ryan Hennessy arrived moments later, immediately taking control of the room in the effortless way only truly experienced frontmen can.

And instantly, I remembered why I love seeing Picture This live so much.

Ryan Hennessy doesn’t need elaborate speeches or over-the-top theatrics to command a stage. He simply has that rare ability to make an entire room lock onto him the second he appears.

His energy never dipped once all night.

Even after seeing them multiple times before across Ireland and London, I still got excited seeing him walk out on stage in Sydney. There’s something oddly comforting about hearing that unmistakable Kildare accent booming through speakers on the opposite side of the world.

The crowd reaction was huge from the beginning too. It felt like everyone in the room had been waiting a long time for this tour to finally happen, and here we were now, all the lads.

A Stripped-Back Production

Production-wise, this was definitely a much simpler show than the huge arena productions I’ve seen recently from country artists like Lainey Wilson or Jelly Roll.

No giant screens, no pyro, no confetti, no dramatic visual interludes, no need.

Just the band, the music and lighting that perfectly matched the mood of each song, because they didn’t need anything more.

The Metro Theatre setting actually worked in the band’s favour because it kept the focus entirely on the songs themselves. Ryan Hennessy has enough charisma to fill an arena without needing anything distracting around him.

It felt more like an authentic indie gig than a polished arena show, and that suited Picture This perfectly for their first run of headline shows in Australia.

Ryan Hennessy, A Born Frontman

I’ll say it again because I genuinely believe it: Ryan Hennessy is one of the best frontmen Ireland has produced in years.

From the second he stepped on stage, he completely owned the room.

He moved constantly, interacted with every corner of the venue, fed off the crowd’s energy and somehow managed to make a sold-out room feel personal at the same time.

What makes him particularly compelling live is that he performs with complete emotional honesty. Nothing feels forced or rehearsed. When he sings emotional lyrics, you believe him entirely.

There weren’t any long speeches throughout the night, but he did mention that this was Picture This’ first headline Australian tour and only their second time playing the country overall.

There was also, naturally, a quick chorus of “Olé Olé Olé” from the crowd because Irish people physically cannot attend concerts without doing this at least once, should they otherwise combust.

The chemistry between the band members was excellent too. You can tell they’ve spent years touring together because everything felt incredibly tight musically without ever feeling robotic.

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The Metro Theatre or A Giant Irish Pub?

If there’s one thing Picture This absolutely excel at live, it’s writing songs designed for mass singalongs. And Metro Theatre became exactly that for ninety minutes: a giant Irish pub choir.

Songs like “Never Change”, “You & I” and “A Thousand Times” got enormous reactions from the crowd, but almost every song felt like a headline moment.

“Never Change” in particular sounded unbelievable live. The entire room screamed every word back so loudly that Ryan barely needed to sing parts himself.

“This Morning” was another standout, while “Take My Hand” arriving during the encore felt like the expected, but best way to end the night.

Then came “Get On My Love” as the final song of the night, which somehow managed to send the crowd into one final frenzy before the lights came up.

But the most special moment of the entire concert for me came during “Song to Myself”.

Midway through the song, Ryan blended it seamlessly into “With or Without You” by U2, and my jaw dropped. The meaning of the two songs combining, the emotional vocals, the blend of two Irish artists, it was so perfect.

Again, my eyes closed just to take it all in.

The Best Moment of the Night

Oddly enough, the moment that probably impressed me most wasn’t even one of the loud, chaotic songs.

Near the end of “Go Gently”, Ryan got the entire room to be silent. No instruments, no backing track, not even a microphone. Just his voice.

And somehow, in a packed Friday-night Sydney venue full of tipsy Irish people, everybody actually stayed quiet enough to hear it properly. And it was beautiful.

Moments like that are exactly why smaller venues can sometimes beat arenas. In a room like Metro Theatre, you can actually feel the crowd collectively holding their breath together.

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Friday Night Chaos

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper Picture This gig without a bit of chaos too.

During “You & I”, Ryan convinced the entire crowd to crouch down low to the floor before exploding back upwards together jumping and screaming.

The energy throughout the room stayed high all night too. Unlike some concerts lately where everyone watches through their phones, this crowd mostly seemed fully present in the moment.

There were phones occasionally, of course, but nowhere near the levels I’ve noticed at other recent concerts.

*Instant flashback to watching Shaboozey*

People were there to sing, and sing they absolutely did.

A Band That Deserves So Much More Recognition

One thing I kept thinking throughout the night was how much bigger Picture This deserve to be internationally.

I know that sounds dramatic, but I mean it.

Some artists rely heavily on production, viral moments or hype. Picture This simply rely on great songs, great vocals and an exceptional live show.

And maybe that’s part of why they’ve built such a loyal fanbase over the years.

But still, I can’t wrap my head around how a few other new-ish Irish bands were able to sell out the Enmore Theatre (more than once) and yet Picture This were playing at the Metro Theatre.

Make it make sense, please.

At this rate, I’ll be happy to act as Picture This’ publicist for free and tell the whole world that they’re the best thing to come out of Ireland in a very long time.

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The Encore

The encore had to include “Take My Hand”. There was simply no universe where the crowd would have accepted anything else.

And when the opening notes started, the entire venue somehow got even louder than before.

After finishing with “Get On My Love”, the band lingered on stage longer than most artists usually do, clearly not wanting the night to end either.

Then, in a wonderfully random final touch, “Dancing Queen” by ABBA blasted through the speakers while the crowd stayed behind singing and dancing together.

Nobody seemed ready to leave.

Outside afterwards, groups spilled out into Sydney CBD still singing Picture This songs, while plenty of Irish fans headed towards The Rocks to see if the band might appear at Frank Mac’s or The Doss House afterwards.

Exactly the sort of post-gig optimism (or delusion) Irish people specialise in.

Final Review: Picture This Live in Sydney

Every time I see Picture This live, they somehow get better.

This Sydney show at Metro Theatre ranks right up there with the best times I’ve seen them, including Belfast, Dublin and London.

Partly because the venue was so intimate, partly because the crowd were incredible, but mostly because the band themselves still perform with the same hunger and passion they had years ago.

Eight years after first discovering them at Belsonic, they still feel exciting to me.

And while I genuinely believe they deserve to be playing much bigger venues internationally by now, there was something undeniably special about seeing them in a room this intimate.

If they announce another Australian tour, I’ll be there immediately.

Never change Picture This.