The Coronas

Irish rock band the Coronas first gained traction on Dublin’s live scene through their contemporary indie rock approach. Their anthemic style carried across multiple releases, beginning with the 2007 debut Heroes or Ghosts and extending to True Love Waits in 2020.

The group formed in Dublin in 2003 when college friends Danny O’Reilly on vocals and guitar, Graham Knox on bass, and Conor Egan on drums initially performed as Kiros before briefly using Corona. Concerned about mix-ups with the Italian dance act sharing that name, they finalized the Coronas. Their early shows around Dublin built a local audience and led to a deal with the independent 3ú Records, the same label that had released material by O’Reilly’s mother, folk singer Mary Black. The 2007 arrival of Heroes or Ghosts coincided with the addition of Dave McPhillips on lead guitar; the record entered the Irish Top 20, prompting national TV appearances and a 2008 Meteor Awards nomination.

The band’s second album, Tony Was an Ex-Con, arrived in 2009. Produced by John Cornfield, whose prior credits include Muse and Razorlight, it entered the Irish chart at number three and captured the 2010 Meteor Award for Best Album, surpassing U2 and Snow Patrol. Further live work brought support slots alongside the Script and an opening spot for Paul McCartney, alongside their own headline dates. Teaming with producer Tony Hoffer, known for Beck and the Fratellis, the trio issued Closer to You in 2011. Subsequent European, British, and Irish shows culminated in a sold-out Dublin performance before more than 14,000 fans at the end of 2012.

A chance encounter with producer Eliott James, whose résumé lists Kaiser Chiefs and Noah and the Whale, prompted sessions for the 2014 album The Long Way. Mid-recording, the band signed with Island Records, which released the project in November. After one album on the major label they parted ways, returned to Ireland, and recorded without major-label constraints. The resulting Trust the Wire appeared in 2017 on their own So Far So Good imprint and became their first number-one album on the Irish charts. Continued sold-out performances across Europe, Australia, and the U.K. included a three-night stand at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre, captured for the 2019 live release Live at the Olympia. Late that year McPhillips departed to pursue other projects. Now a trio, the Coronas delivered their sixth studio album, True Love Waits, in 2020. Recorded with George Murphy, whose credits include Ellie Goulding and Mumford & Sons, the set was introduced by the singles “Haunted,” “Cold,” and “Lost in the Thick of It.”