The Coronas frontman Danny O'Reilly has told RTÉ Entertainment that the Dublin outfit are looking on the bright side as their new album True Love Waits arrives, and has predicted that there will be "a lot more enjoying it" when bands and fans are eventually reunited at live shows.
The aptly-titled True Love Waits was originally scheduled for May, but as the Covid-19 emergency developed The Coronas decided to postpone its release until July - the optimism in the album's lyrics has taken on a greater significance for the trio and their fans as a result.
"The whole situation gives you a bit of perspective on everything," reflected O'Reilly. "You realise what's really important. We love what we do; we've had a great run at it for the past few years. We're luckier than most in that we probably can weather the storm until gigs come back. There's a lot of people out there - musicians, venues and crews - that are really struggling."
"I can't see myself doing anything else, even if it takes a long time to come back," he continued. "I love it too much and I'm not very good at anything else! It's made me realise, not that I wasn't grateful or appreciative of what I do, but it's definitely heightened that.
"Someone told me the other night when we were doing Songs from an Empty Room in the Olympia that we've played the Olympia 35 times over our years, which is just amazing. But if we got to go back and do one sold-out Olympia... I swear to God, I'd walk out onstage and just stand there and just not even start the gig! I'd literally just stand there for five minutes going, 'This is great!' And I think punters will be the same - I'll be the same if I go to a gig."
"A lot of the lyrics on the album are about that - trying to enjoy the journey, be a bit more present," he added. "When things come back there will be a lot more gratitude; there will be a lot more enjoying it. We're just going to enjoy whatever it is we can do. If we can just play a couple of gigs in small venues it's not really going to matter [about the size]. We're lucky that this is our job and we will definitely have a bit more appreciation for anything - for everything - when things get back to normal."
True Love Waits is out on Friday. This August Bank Holiday weekend The Coronas hit the road on a promotional tour with a difference - they'll be travelling in an ice cream van after teaming up with Murphy's Ice Cream.
