Ratboys / Former Champ – live gallery and review from The Grand Social Dublin 26.05.2026

Chicago four-piece Ratboys made their Dublin debut at a packed-out Grand Social, and from the opening notes of “Open Up” it was clear this was a band operating well within their stride. Fronted by Julia Steiner, whose guitar work and vocals carry a rare kind of warmth, the band moved through a 15-song set that drew from across their catalogue while leaning confidently into Singin’ to an Empty Chair, their sixth record released earlier this year.

The evening’s most electric moment came mid-set when they played “Light Night Mountains All That,” one of the lead singles from the new record. The crowd, already well warmed up, surged noticeably, and it was the kind of song that felt built for exactly this size of room. Earlier, “Morning Zoo” and “It’s Alive!” showcased the band’s ability to toggle between loose, jangly energy and something more focused and precise, while deeper cuts like “Stanza” and “Strange Love” gave the set a welcome emotional weight. They rounded things out with The Window title track and a run of older fan favourites, closing on “Black Earth,” which sent the room out buzzing.

Off stage, Steiner proved as warm as her songwriting. Between songs she told the crowd about her college days studying in Dublin, and how the night before the show she’d gone out with support act Former Champ to Whelan’s, the venue she used to frequent as a student. She found it full of students again, playing the same music. Nothing much had changed, she said, and the crowd loved her for it. A packed room that still felt intimate, a band clearly delighted to be here, and a setlist with no filler.  

Former Champ photos & set-list:

Set-list:
Big Surprise
Kawaski  
Motherwell
Now You See Me
Porcelain
Lose Something
I Promise
Crooked Little Line
Running Back
Beginner’s Luck

Ratboys photos & Set-list:

Set-list:
Open Up
Anywhere
Penny
Know You Then
Morning Zoo
It’s Alive!
Strange Love
Light Night Mountains All That
Stanza  
Window
Go Out at Night
JWYTKIT
What’s Right?
Go Outside
Black Earth

Photos & words – Cian O’Donnell @cianod6