It was a clear decade since The Corrs played a live show on home soil, but the duck was broken in dramatic fashion last night, as they turned out to be the special guests at the Ruby Sessions in Doyle’s.
The sessions are, of course, already a legendary institution; intimate gigs with the money raised going to Dublin Simon Community. Names like Glen Hansard, Mumford And Sons, Ed Sheeran and many more have graced the stage in the past, but now they can add Dundalk’s first family to that list as well.
Following 15 years as a global phenomenon - and not much less than that pursuing solo ventures - the siblings are back together, with their new album White Light arriving this Friday. In one way, it seems like an age since we last caught them; in other ways it's like they never left. With their first single released about a month ago, the teasing began, but this was their first time playing in front of a crowd; what’s more, they were going to have to follow some pretty decent opening acts.
Kicking off the evening was Charlie Cunningham, a singer-songwriter from the UK. Capable of making you believe you’re in a small village in Spain rather than in cold and rainy Dublin – his sound closer to what you'd expect in a place where umbrellas protect from the sun – he proved a wonderful way to start a night filled with great music, but the fun was only beginning.
Having released her second album a few months ago, Gabrielle Aplin’s star remains very much in the ascent, and the English chanteuse was next to take the stage. Showcasing numbers from Light Up The Dark, she looked right at home; of course, her ties to boyfriend Harry Hudson-Taylor mean that she’s a regular around Dublin. Fans with tickets to her January headliner are in for a treat, as she held the increasingly animated crowd in the palm of her hand throughout. Excitement threatened to bubble over when 'Coming Home' saw her duly joined by the brothers Hudson-Taylor; musical families, it turns out, was the theme here…
Because next, it was the moment everyone was waiting for. Andrea, Caroline, Sharon and Jim hit the stage to a thunderous reception – The Corrs were back in business.
Opener ‘I Do What I Like’ – lifted from the forthcoming album – almost seemed like a statement; the return will be done their way. The crowd went crazy with every note they played and every word they sang; the wait, clearly, had been tough on their faithful fans. ‘Dreams’, their much-celebrated take on the Fleetwood Mac classic, immediately prompted everyone to a singalong, but it was their new song ‘Ellis Island’ that really sent shivers down everyone’s spine. The packed pub fell completely silent as they sang about Irish immigrants looking for a better life in America.
But it wasn’t just about their new album; far from it. In fact, the purity of the gold in the oldies seems to have only intensified over the years – ‘Breathless’ blew the roof off the pub, leaving revellers suitably gasping for air at the conclusion of the spirited rendition. Their current single, 'Bring On The Night’ went perfectly with their older hits, and the classic ‘Toss The Feathers’ looked like being a triumphant conclusion.
Luckily, the crowd didn’t give up that easily. To the delight of the impassioned audience, they returned for an encore, leading with a beautiful version of ‘Runaway’ – Andrea surrendering to the audience and letting the fans sing the chorus. They closed the night – somewhat surprisingly – with a Jimi Hendrix cover, ‘Little Wing’. The joy of playing together again, and having fun while doing it, was plain to see.
It was pretty clear on the faces of the crowd, too; hell, even Hot Press was grinning uncontrollably by the end. While the U2 boys marked one homecoming a few miles down the road, and even longer-awaited return kicked off with one hell of a bang.
Andrea, Caroline, Sharon and Jim – it hasn’t been the same without ye.