The Coronas

Formed in Dublin, Ireland in 2003 by Danny O’Reilly (vocals, guitar), Graham Knox (bass), and Conor Egan (drums) after they met at college, the trio originally went by the name Kiros before adopting, Corona. Worried about being confused with the Italian dance outfit of the same name, the trio finally settled on the Coronas. Their blend of anthemic indie rock soon developed a following after numerous gigs in and around Dublin and saw them sign to local indie label 3ú Records, which had also worked with O’Reilly‘s mother, folk singer Mary Black. Their debut album, Heroes or Ghosts, appeared in 2007; the trio had also drafted in Dave McPhillips on lead guitar to flesh out their sound. With the release peaking in the Irish Top 20, the group found themselves appearing on national television and being nominated for gongs at the 2008 Meteor Awards. The following year saw the release of the sophomore album, Tony Was an Ex-Con. The John Cornfield (Muse, Razorlight) produced album hit the Irish charts on release, debuting at number three and went on to scoop the 2010 Meteor Award for Best Album, beating U2 and Snow Patrol in the process. The group continued to play live, scoring support slots with the likes of the Script and also opening for Paul McCartney, as well as headlining themselves. 2011 saw the release of their third album, Closer to You, after teaming up with producer Tony Hoffer (Beck, the Fratellis) for the record. More live dates followed — with stops in Europe, the U.K., and Ireland — and the group rounded out 2012 with a sold-out home show in front of over 14,000 people. In 2014, after a chance meeting with producer Eliott James (Kaiser Chiefs, Noah and the Whale), the group set about recording their fourth album, The Long Way. Part-way through the process, they inked a deal with Island Records, which issued the album in November.