Chemical Brothers finally shake off viral curse to rock Cork

Repeatedly put off since 2020 due to covid, the Mancunian beatmakers finally brought their show to Cork's Musgrave Park

Tickets went on sale in 2019 for The Chemical Brothers' concert in Cork which finally took place on Wednesday evening at Musgrave Park. Picture: David Creedon

It’s been years in the making but electronic music pioneers the Chemical Brothers have finally brought their block rockin’ beats back to Leeside.

Some people had held on to their tickets since they went on sale in 2019 for the summer of 2020. That show was cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic.

The rescheduled gig last summer was also cancelled when the band themselves came down with a dose of the virus, with their Glastonbury show also getting the chop as a result.

But, the third time is the charm, and what a charm it was.

Marlina Quarke, Ruby Arozamena, Orna Tobin, and Melanie O’Riordan from Blackrock at Musgrave Park in Cork ahead of the Chemical Brothers’ performance. Picture: David Creedon

It is a major change of pace for the rugby stadium which has, to date, played host to George Ezra, Paolo Nutini, and the 1975.

The age profile is a little older this week, with the superstar DJs playing to a crowd of 30- and 40-somethings, many of whom fondly remember them from their ’90s heyday.

The Mancunian beatmakers are on the go for more than three decades and, even though their biggest chart hits came more than 20 years ago, they manage to avoid straying into the territory of nostalgia act, with plenty of songs from their most recent work making the cut.

Amy Winters from Ballinspittle and Erin Lyons from Riverstick at the Chemical Brothers concert in Musgrave Park, Cork. Picture: David Creedon

There was no hint of this being a school-night outing for many in attendance, with large parts of the crowd happy to throw shapes as Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands tore through their set, and the bars at Musgrave enjoying healthy-looking queues throughout the evening.

The biggest cheers are reserved for the likes of ‘Hey Boy Hey Girl’ and ‘Setting Sun’, which soundtracked the late 1990s for many in
attendance, as well as more recent hits like ‘Go’ and ‘Galvanize’, with the latter prompting a euphoric high throughout Musgrave Park.

It isn’t the first time the Chemical Brothers played in Cork, either. In 1995, they were part of an absolutely stacked Féile line-up, sharing the Groove Stage with Massive Attack, Underworld, and Andrew Weatherall, while The Stone Roses, Orbital, and Paul Weller also performed across a busy August bank holiday weekend.

Jolanta Kovalenkiene and Edward Kovalenko at the Chemical Brothers concert in Musgrave Park, Cork. Picture: David Creedon

Earlier in the day, Ed Simons had said on Instagram that this was a gig seven years in the planning.

Unlike last week’s gigs, which were bathed in glorious sunshine, the rain made its presence felt at Musgrave Park but, despite the early evening shower, there weren’t many who would have preferred to be across town at Rod Stewart at the Marquee.

Support on Wednesday night came from Galway producer Kettama and veteran DJ James Holroyd, a regular at Chemical Brothers shows over the years.

The band is renowned for its 3D projections and visuals of angels, dancers and disco balls throughout the set.

Louis, Ann Marie, and Arthur Dineen from St Lukes at Musgrave Park for the Chemical Brothers. Picture: David Creedon

A little bit of this was lost in the fact that even though they weren’t on stage until 9pm, it was still bright out on the longest day of the year.

They make good use of the screens on stage and the imagery is pretty spectacular so much of the impact still lands.

It isn’t subtle — they never have been — but there’s no doubting the impact they have had across electronic music over the decades, and there is also no doubting the enthusiasm and euphoria of an audience that waited three years for this concert to finally take place.

For Musgrave Park, there are still quite a few shows to go.

Kodaline are next on stage here on Friday, before the 2 Johnnies (Saturday), Florence + the Machine (Monday), and then the Chemical Brothers’ long-time contemporaries The Prodigy bring down the curtain on the venue on Wednesday June 28.