Picture This lit up Waterford last night as they headlined the city’s first ever Heatwave Festival at the Regional Sports Centre. The evening kicked off with DJ Steven Cooper getting the crowd going, followed by rising singer-songwriter Sean McComish and a strong set from Waterford’s own Dave Lofts, who clearly relished the chance to play such a massive show in his hometown. The buzz around the venue was massive and the sold-out crowd made it clear this was more than another summer gig. I’m not exaggerating here when I say it honestly felt like a turning point for the city.
The excitement wasn’t just inside the venue either. People without tickets lined the streets and packed into Supermac’s and Papa John’s across the road, hoping to hear or even catch a glimpse of the action. The demand was unreal. It’s been years since Waterford City hosted something of this scale and judging by the turnout, the hunger for live music is very real here.
Once Picture This hit the stage, the place erupted. They rolled through all the big ones like This Morning, LA House Party, One Drink and Parked Car Conversations. There was a moment where Ryan read out a poem he’d written about Waterford, and the crowd soaked up every word. Speaking of the Picture This frontman, Ryan Hennessy was on another level. I’ve seen him in Cork a couple weeks ago and wondered how he keeps the energy going night after night, but he pushed it even further in Waterford. At one point he climbed the scaffolding at the side of the stage, singing down to the crowd from above. He also gave a shoutout to the people across the road, saying he could see them all and asked if someone standing at Papa John’s could send up a pepperoni pizza. In true Waterford fashion, someone did, and he ate it on stage with his bandmates while the crowd roared in approval.
They finished the night with Take My Hand followed by Get On My Love, and as the band left the stage, Abba’s Dancing Queen blasted through the speakers. It felt like the perfect end to a night that was full of joy and brilliant music. Huge credit has to go to Mark Dunne and the team behind Heatwave Festival for pulling this off. As announced last night, they’re already planning for 2026 and are hoping to stretch it over two days. Judging by the energy and sheer numbers last night, Waterford is ready for more. This was exactly what the City needed.
Sean McComish photos:
Dave Lofts:
Picture This photos & set-list:
Set-list:
LA House Party
Act of Innocence
Things Are Different
This Morning
Call It Love
Family Out of Friends
Addict of Magic
Play Video
Jane (With excerpt of Rainy Night in SoHo by The Pogues)
Go Gently (Ryan read a poem he wrote about Waterford in the middle of the song)
Drink It Down to There
A Thousand Times
Unconditional
Parked Car Conversations
Lets Try Love
Never Change
Song to Myself
Addicted to You
You & I
Take My Hand
Get On My Love
Dancing Queen (ABBA song tapped outro)
Photos & Words – Alan Robinson @alan_robinson_photography