The Coronas at Electric Picnic 2023: ‘Thank you so much for singing at the top of your lungs’

The Coronas

Electric Arena

★★★★★

Starting with a pop of confetti, The Coronas kicked off their prime time slot on the Saturday night of Electric Picnic at full tilt.

Addicted to Progress brought on a high-energy singalong from the crowd who knew all the lyrics for every song.

It was a welcome reception for a band more than deserving of it, leaving frontman Danny O’Reilly standing and smiling before a chorus of olé, olé, olé after just two songs.

The band’s newest album, Time Stopped, went straight to No 1 in Ireland last October. Not hard to see how that happened given how the Electric Arena’s crowd was packed in shoulder to shoulder for their set.

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“This is unbelievable,” Danny tells the crowd. “Thank you so much for singing at the top of your lungs.”

Feel It Close was a moment for Conor Egan on drums to play in the spotlight with a bit of impromptu camerawork from O’Reilly on the monitors.

“We really weren’t sure if anyone was going to come to see us ... it’s amazing to be back.”

Alongside the usual band members were Cian McSweeney of True Tides, All Tvvins guitarist Lar Kaye and O’Reilly’s sister Róisín Ó on backing vocals and keys.

The crowd’s singing during Heroes or Ghosts was just about enough to drown out the sound bleed (a bit of a problem at most stages close together at this year’s event) from headliner Fred Again on the nearby main stage.

A verse of the song as Gaeilge led into brief but moving tributes to both Christy Dignam and Sinéad O’Connor with Crazy World and Nothing Compares 2 U.

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“It’s not very often bands play EP two years in a row but as long as they keep asking us, we’ll keep coming back.”

One Love was dedicated to another departed musician, The Script’s Mark Sheehan, and included a verse in vocals from Róisín Ó.

Despite being on the go for two decades, The Coronas are a band that consistently draw the crowds. Their songs are the foundation of that, but their presence performing live, looking like they’re enjoying every moment of it, is the reason the crowds keep coming back.

Anyone catching them on tour later this year should count themselves very lucky.

Finishing on San Diego Song, the roar of the crowd almost overtook O’Reilly’s own singing.

It was a show for some of the best of Irish musical talent to come front and centre while paying respect to those who came before them.