THE CORONAS ANNOUNCE OCTOBER UK DATES
Boasting 3 double platinum albums in their homeland of Ireland, The Coronas have sold out everywhere from Dublin’s 13,000 capacity o2 Arena to The Olympia Theatre, where they played a record-breaking six night run. They have supported Sir Paul McCartney, The Script, Justin Timberlake and Pink on a full UK tour. This October they will play 3 dates in the UK in Manchester, Glasgow and London.
Last year, The Coronas moved to London. Which matters because, as anyone in Ireland will tell you, The Coronas are a Dublin band. This summer they played to 9,500 arms-aloft fans at Dublin’s Royal Hospital Kilmainham Park – but their sights are now focused further afield. Within months of their move, the band who battled the big boys in Ireland on their own indie label had signed a publishing deal with Big Life and been snapped up by Island Records, not on the strength of their previous achievements, but for their epic new album, which is due for release in the UK in the new year.
Most of the album was written and recorded before Island came on board with producer Eliott James (Kaiser Chiefs, Two Door Cinema Club, Noah and the Whale). “We met Eliott by chance,” says singer Danny O’Reilly. “We liked the albums he’d worked on before, but mostly we chose him because we got on. He’s very hands-on, he plays lots of instruments and he suggested some new directions for the songs we wouldn’t have come up with ourselves.”
The Coronas may call their forthcoming album a new start, but really it’s a reboot. The eight years the four members, all still in their twenties, spent conquering their homeland is the cornerstone of the band they are now. Their journey began when childhood best friends Danny (the son of Irish folk legend Mary Black) and bassist Graham Knox formed a band at school with Conor. They played their first gig aged 15. By the time they reached uni, they had recruited Dave and had called themselves The Coronas.
The last eight years has seen The Coronas establish themselves as one of Ireland’s best-loved bands and sell out Ireland’s biggest venues.
“The last eight years have been a blast,” says Knoxy. “We look back and can’t believe what we’ve achieved. The highlights? Too many to mention. But for me, meeting McCartney when we supported him. He asked who was the bassist. I said me. He said, ‘Okay, here’s my advice. Don’t break up.”
“And we haven’t,” laughs Danny. “We can’t. Paul McCartney said so.”
Live dates
22nd October The Soup Kitchen Manchester
23rd October King Tuts Wah Wah Hut Glasgow
28th October Scala London
Tickets are on sale now and are available from gigst.rs/CNS