The Corrs Transcend at London’s Royal Albert Hall

LIVE REVIEW | The Corrs at Royal Albert Hall, London 03/28/2025 by Morris Shamah

The Corrs headlined Royal Albert Hall on Friday night as part of the annual Teenage Cancer Trust concert series. This is the fourth time the Irish band of siblings has played the hallowed Royal Albert Hall, the first of which was their breakthrough concert on St. Patrick’s Day 1998. 

Opening for The Corrs was  Northern Irish duo Dea Matrona, who take their inspiration from classic rock heavyweights. They came out to In The Light by Led Zeppelin and they played the stage at Royal Albert Hall like it was their own, leading singalongs and delivering sweeping, searing guitar solos. Co-lead vocalist and guitarist Mollie McGinn donned a steel guitar slide for “Get My Mind Off,” biting through the arena like lightning. Finale “Red Button” was classic-rock-huge. The duo self-released their debut album For Your Sins in May of last year, and they’re one to follow.

The Corrs took the stage after a short but effective bit of fundraising from Teenage Cancer Trust. Their set was perfection from top to bottom – opening with Only When I Sleep and Give Me A Reason, The Corrs reminded everyone that they’re the queens and king of pop-rock. Lead Singer and tin whistler Andrea Corr took a few minutes to take off her shoes and talk to the crowd, remarking on how special the aforementioned 1998 performance was to them – and that it elevated them outside of the “folk section in the archives of record stores.”

Nonetheless, The Corrs do play traditional music – from the “Lough Erin Shore”intro to “Forgiven Not Forgotten” to “My Lagan Love” and “Joy Of Life,” there was Irish folk music a-plenty, to the delight of the audience. A benefit concert is notorious for having a stiff and seated crowd, but the Irish quartet cut through that with their jigs, which never failed to get the crowd up on their feet. The rest of the set was full of all of your favourite The Corrs classics. Only two songs dated later than 2004, including Ellis Island, their beautiful ballad of Irish emigration, immigration, belonging, and longing, which Andrea introduced as “getting more poignant every day.”

The second half of the set contained some of The Corrs’ biggest hits, including “Radio,” and “I Never Loved You Anyway,” and their two signature covers – “Little Wing,” which featured a subtle but noticeable nod to Jimi Hendrix in the solo by guitarist Anthony Drennan, and “Dreams,” originally by Fleetwood Mac. (Unlike their 1998 performance, the stage wasn’t graced by Mick Fleetwood.) The crowd grew more and more animated as the night went on and by the time the main set ended with Runaway, Andrea was mostly silent in deference to the loudly singing audience in her stead. They saved their biggest pop hit, “Breathless,” for the encore – but just like that night in 1998, they closed with “For The Feathers,” one last Irish jig.

Teenage Cancer Trust offers unique care and support, designed for and with young people. Cancer kills more teenagers and young adults in the UK than any other disease. Every day, seven young people aged 13-24 hear the words “you have cancer”. They will each need specialised nursing care and support to get them through it. Teenage Cancer Trust is the only UK charity dedicated to meeting this vital need – so no young person faces cancer alone. Teenage Cancer Trust’s annual run of benefit concerts at Royal Albert Hall has ended, but you can still get involved with the charity on their website.

The Corrs are touring The UK and Ireland this summer. You can see all tour dates and get tickets here.

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Morris Shamah

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