By DONNA BALANCIA
If you wanted to meet a true Irish lass, Echo Park was the place to be last night. That’s because The Coronas from Dublin, Ireland, played The Echo and it was like bees to honey.
The handsome Danny O’Reilly and his crew — who normally fill stadiums back home we’re told — packed The Echo with Irish fans of all shapes and sizes. All were singing the praises of this revered and legendary Irish band.
He’s a star, this Danny O’Reilly, and like all the Princes, movie stars and rockers across the U.K., his love life is splashed all over the tabloids back in Europe. Apparently he’s no longer dating the model, or the actress, or the socialite, but is now going with a down-to-earth accountant. Such is the dilemma, but he apparently takes it all in stride.
The Coronas O’Reilly: A Star
O’Reilly alternates between the brooding, balladeer type and total outrage onstage, at once being vulnerable and also stand-offish and the audience loves the blissful torture of it all.
CHECK OUT THE NEW CORONAS ALBUM TRUST THE WIRE
The band is comprised of Conor Egan, Graham Knox, Dave McPhillips and O’Reilly. They’re all great musicians, but O’Reilly is the most mobile, even jumping into the crowd with his guitar at one point during the show.
The frontman’s got looks and the stage presence of someone who has studied performance for many years. O’Reilly’s mother is a famous singer in Ireland, Mary Black, and his dad is her manager. So he comes from good genetics. Irish girls came from near and far to reach out to this band. It’s clear The Coronas of Dublin are beloved in their home country and keep a solid fan base here.
CHECK OUT THE CORONAS FACEBOOK PAGE
The crowd goes crazy for for the band with girls and guys all screaming out “Touch me, Danny!”and reaching out for a handshake.
“We’ll have a chat afterwards,” he jokes from the stage. “I’m not going to interrupt the gig for that right now.”
The Coronas, The Beer
With a name like The Coronas, you would think there would be a mention of beer. Well it goes far beyond that with the Irish crowd. Beer was the drink of the night at the Echo, with some people holding two glasses at a time.
But also, the band got its name from drinking beer, a fan explained.
“They were in San Francisco and they were drinking beer and so they named themselves The Coronas,” said longtime fan Evelyn originally from Dublin, who now lives in Los Angeles.
The set list was long and as the night wore on the fans got rowdier. There were even a few people hoisting an Irish flag and jumping around gleefully.
The Coronas Pop Music
As for the music, if you like pop, this band puts on an an excellent show. The music reflects the feelings of true love, the meaning of life, losing your love and all the rest of the topics on the top-40.
If we were to put this band in the U.S. and set them loose on the festival scene, the Coronas would fall somewhere in the broad abyss between The Buttertones for the passionate fans they bring out and the Foo Fighters for their dynamism.
Our favorite songs: “Mark My Words,” “Give Me a Minute,” and “San Diego Song.”
Apparently The Coronas fill stadiums back in Europe and fans at The Echo were talking about how “mad’ it was that this famous band was playing a small venue and for cheaper than a $100 ticket. All in all The Coronas are great fun.
The band is on to San Francisco and then take a tour of Australia.
Openers were Yoya and Oliver Riot.
