Corrs - Interview

by Nick Dent-Robinson

published: 16 / 6 / 2016

Nick Dent-Robinson speaks to Irish folk pop group the Corrs about 'White Light', their first album in ten years, and their forthcoming appearance at Nocturne Live at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire

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On 24 June Andrea, Sharon, Caroline and Jim Corr will be joining Sir Elton John at the Nocturne Live 2016 four-day music event at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. The Irish band will perform an eclectic mix of their popular hits plus tracks from their new album, 'White Light'. As Sharon told me, “We'll ensure the fans get their favourites from our old albums but there will also be an acoustic set with four part harmony plus songs from the new album too.” The Corrs are also touring Austria, Spain, France and Monaco but the band are excited to be playing Blenheim. As Jim said, “This has to be one of the most beautiful venues in the world, so who wouldn't be thrilled to play there. And after the ten year break the band have had, we feel stronger than ever now - really enthusiastic about everything again. Also, having aged and matured a bit more, I do think we are able to appreciate things in a way we couldn't during all the craziness at the peak of our earlier success.” Drummer Caroline is credited for persuading her siblings to return to performing again. “The domestic routine had become just a bit boring,” she reflected. “Putting the bins out, grocery shopping...and I just thought we should get together again and see what happened. Of course our domestic and parental responsibilities do have priority but there are good ways of managing all that. The others were surprisingly enthusiastic about performing again. We didn't expect to write a whole new album but it came quite easily and doing everything – including live performances – has been a joy, really.” Sister Andrea agreed, commenting, “The album was based on our personal experiences, as all our songs have been. I think our music is quite life affirming and we do love performing. My favourite track is 'Ellis Island' because it is so raw and poignant, but I like all of them.” Jim stressed that the band have stayed very true to their roots back in Dundalk, in the Irish Republic - a market town just South of the border with Northern Ireland. Sharon agrees, adding, “We really grew together and pushed each other hard to get our songs and our performances just right but we are very proud of our background and heritage. We've also been lucky to have people around us who nurtured us and never tried to mould us into something we weren't. We all appreciate that.” Nocturne Live at Blenheim Palace runs from 23 to 26 June and The Corrs appear on Friday 24 June. Go to www.blenheimpalace.com for details.