Live Report: The Coronas at the 3Arena

‘I don’t think we’ve ever had a welcome like this in all our years as a band,’ lead singer Danny O'Reilly announces to the crowd at the 3Arena, as his infectious grin warms the hearts of the adoring audience cheering him on. His praise and interaction with the crowd doesn’t stop there. It’s clear throughout the gig that the band’s mission is to make us lose our inhibitions, as well as play their finest, most instantly relatable tracks.

Rewind half an hour. Opening act Wild Youth, an up-and-coming pop-rock outfit who’ve been gaining traction across the UK and Ireland music scene, successfully hype up the crowd with the likes of their catchy, instant-hit numbers ‘All or Nothing’ and ‘Lose Control’.

After the opening act, Danny is taken aback by what only can only be described as an eruption of admiration as he walks on stage. The lads begin their set with ‘Real Feel’ from their most recent studio album Trust the Wire, then switch to an older classic, ‘San Diego’, from their 2007 album Heroes or Ghosts. The setlist maintains its variety throughout the course of the show, moving seamlessly between older material and songs from newer albums. The crowd, for their part, sing along as though they’d written the words themselves.

Even in the arena-sized venue, the four lads on stage are committed to making this as intimate an affair as possible. As O’Reilly and the rest of the band move effortlessly around the stage, acknowledging the standing and seating sections in equal measure, Danny provides directions between several of the songs, giving us an insight to the Coronas songwriting psyche: ‘This is a song about believing in yourself and not being too hard on yourself’ he says before ‘Not What You Know’, as well as giving instructions for the crowd to dance ‘like a dad dancing at a wedding’ and ‘dance like no one can see you’ during ‘Get Loose’. Finally, in-keeping with their obvious aim of inclusiveness, before ‘What A Love’ he commands the revellers ‘turn to the person next to you and give them a big hug’.

No one can deny that Danny’s infectious personality, combined with the vivid pyrotechnics, confetti and massive balloons, made this gig a special one for everyone in the crowd.