Renowned as one of the best live acts in Ireland, The Coronas are offering an early taste from their forthcoming eighth studio album with the release today (30) of the project’s first single, entitled “Speak Up.” The band has been recording with producer George Murphy (The Specials, Ellie Goulding, Mumford and Sons) at Eastcote Studios in London, where they have recorded previously, with the new album now planned for a fall release via the band’s SoFarSoGood imprint, distributed by Blix Street Records
Perhaps Ireland’s hardest-working band, The Coronas, who last year supported Bruce Springsteen in front of more than 65,000 people in London’s Hyde Park and played for President Joe Biden in County Mayo during the U.S. president’s visit to his ancestral home in Ireland, have also added dates to their 2024 North American tour. The first leg of the tour in March concluded with a raucous St. Patrick’s Day show at New York City’s famed Bowery Ballroom. North American shows resume on June 1 with a west coast run beginning in Vancouver, BC and will continue with east coast festival appearances in July supporting Irish legends The Saw Doctors.
The Coronas—comprising lead vocalist/guitarist Danny O’Reilly, bass guitarist Graham Knox and drummer Conor Egan—are also slated for several large outdoor summer shows in their native Ireland, among them Live at the Marquee in Cork, Park Live in Wexford, King John’s Castle in Limerick, Galway Summer Sessions and Fairview Park in Dublin.
The new single, “Speak Up,” is an uplifting cry for help and guidance, a journey of lyrical positivity that builds from an intimate vocal to a huge chorus, bursting with instrumentation and harmony. “I suppose this is exactly what growth is,” sings a reflective Danny O’Reilly.
In a constantly changing music industry, the Coronas’ longevity is uniquely impressive. They have continued to evolve and release successful new material over the last decade, and while their last three albums have gone straight to number 1 in the Irish charts. Meanwhile, their live following in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia has grown exponentially.
“When we started the band, people were buying CDs, and we were a word-of-mouth student band.” explains O’Reilly. “We persevered through the downloads phase—legal and illegal—the resurgence in vinyl, right up until the current iteration of the music industry, the streaming and TikTok-dance era. We’ve always ignored a lot of that trendy stuff and consider ourselves a live band first and foremost. For us, it’s always been simple: we pride ourselves on releasing good songs and improving our live set with every single show we do and album we release.”
This formula seems to have stood The Coronas in good stead. They have been headlining big shows and festivals in Ireland for almost 15 years, and their annual Christmas shows in Dublin’s famed The Olympia Theatre are the stuff of legend.
“We are proud of our longevity,” says O’Reilly, “but we still feel like we’ve got something to say. We’re really excited to release the new album in the autumn and feel like it’s our strongest album to date.”
To order: https://TheCoronas.lnk.to/SpeakUp
Tickets for all North American shows are on sale now. The dates are as follows:
June 1—Malkin Bowl, Vancouver, BC, Canada
June 2—Madame Lou's, Seattle, WA
June 5—The Independent, San Francisco,CA
June 6—Casbah, San Diego, CA
July 12 & 13—MGM Music Hall at Fenway, Boston (Supporting The Saw Doctors)
July 17—SummerStage in Central Park, New York City (Supporting The Saw Doctors)
July 20—Aragon Ballroom, Chicago (Supporting The Saw Doctors)
From left: Graham Knox, Danny O’Reilly, Conor Egan (Photo by Luke Murphy)
Upcoming 2024 Shows
June 1--Malkin Bowl, Vancouver, BC, Canada
June 2—Madame Lou's, Seattle
June 5—The Independent, San Francisco
June 6—Casbah, San Diego
July 12 & 13—MGM Music Hall at Fenway, Boston (Supporting The Saw Doctors)
July 17—SummerStage in Central Park, New York City (Supporting The Saw Doctors)
July 20—Aragon Ballroom, Chicago (Supporting The Saw Doctors)
May 24--Live At The Marquee, Cork, Ireland
June 14—Min Ryan Park, Wexford
June 15—Fairview Park, Dublin
June 22—King John’s Castle, Limerick
August 24—Galway Summer Sessions, Galway
