Buzzed-up Coronas for Arts Festival concert

Groove Tube with Jimi McDonnell – tribunegroove@live.ie

The Coronas play the Big Top this Saturday, July 25, as part of the closing weekend of this year’s Galway International Arts Festival. It’s been a good year for the quartet, with their UK fan base increasing since the four moved to London two years ago.

“The UK tour went really well, and we played Koko in Camden, which is a great venue,” says lead singer Danny O’Reilly from his new home. “Now we’ve got the next tour in November, and we’re moving up the venues. We’re playing the Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

“It’s moving along, we’re getting little bits of radio here and there,” he adds. “We’re getting to play more festivals. And, thankfully, people back home aren’t forgetting about us either. Our songs are still getting played on the radio, and when we come home people are still coming to see us.”

The Corona’s latest release is How This Goes, a UK-only EP that features the fast-rising Hudson Taylor.

“I wrote a couple of songs with Hudson Taylor for their record,” Danny says. “I met them a good few years ago when I first went over to London. They were living here, really nice lads and we got on well.

“The label wanted something that was just a UK exclusive, to get the vibe going here,” he adds. “We’ll release it at home, maybe on a bonus edition of the album, but we thought that song would be nice for an EP. Hudson Taylor were good enough to come down and sing on it. I think it worked out really well.”

The band released The Long Way in May 2014, but a hectic schedule and life with a label means they haven’t had time to start working on the follow-up.

“We’re still very much in promo mode for this album,” Danny says. “We have little bits and bobs for the next one. I’d say, hopefully over the summer we’ll get to work on some new ones and introduce them into the set, but we haven’t thought about the next one yet. Like I said, we’re still stuck in the promo and plan for this album.”

Before The Coronas come to Galway, Kodaline will have played two sold-out shows in the Big Top. Danny is happy that the young band are enjoying success, at home and abroad.

“I’m delighted for them,” he says. “I bumped into them on a flight not so long ago. They’re touring around and doing well in America as well. Really happy for them. They’re great songwriters, a great bunch of lads.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.