Cork sings its heart out for Kodaline at Musgrave Park
Kodaline lead singer Steve Garrigan in action in front of a fiery backdrop during their gig at Musgrave Park in Cork on Friday night. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Rain failed to dampen the spirits of Musgrave Park attendees on Friday night as Kodaline brought their biggest hits to the Cork venue.
The rugby stadium recently played host to the Chemical Brothers, making the beloved Irish quartet a nice change of pace before Tipperary’s The 2 Johnnies bring their Pints in a Field to the venue on Saturday evening.
Kodaline — vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Steve Garrigan; bassist and vocalist Jason Boland; guitarist and vocalist Mark Prendergast, and drummer and vocalist Vinny May — gathered a large crowd for their sold-out gig on Friday night.
No strangers to the charts, Kodaline (formerly called 21 Demands) are known for their pop-rock anthems and ballads that quickly become the sing-song choice for a gathering of friends or the perfect backing track for a summer’s day drive.
Friday night’s show in Cork was no different as couples and lots of teenagers in bucket hats celebrating the end of exams, came together to sing their hearts out.
The support acts — former X Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan and Westmeath singer Amy Michelle — got them well warmed up and attendees were already making attempts to get up on their friends’ shoulders before the main event had even made it onstage.
After a lot of rain, conditions cleared just as revellers got settled in and ready for their beloved Kodaline, though many were still donning purple rain ponchos.
Gig-goers had ‘High Hopes’ for a great night and were already dancing in anticipation moments before Kodaline even appeared on stage.
When the band eventually made an appearance, the eager crowd were singing along within minutes of the foursome coming on stage.
Dressed all in black, with flames appearing on either side, Steve Garrigan and co were ready to rock.
“Musgrave park how’s a going?” said Garrigan before launching into their second song, Waiting on a Brand New Day but not before a loud cheer from the delighted crowd.
Just when it looked as though there couldn’t be any more excitement from fans, a simple “come on Cork!” from Garrigan got them up and jumping.
Their hit Brother from the 'Politics of Living' album led to a particularly loud cheer and waving hands for the chorus of Way Back When.
The end-of-exams crowd brought an infectious energy, singing and waving their arms in the air for every song in sync.
Between guitar solos, a move to piano from Garrigan for slower songs, and plenty of their top hits, Kodaline delivered a great gig that was lapped up by their Cork fans who were keen to show their dedication by singing along to each and every song.
But there was more than just a singsong. As the lights were brought down for The One, Garrigan warned us it was a romantic one. And he was right. Halfway through the song, the music stopped.
“Hold on. Is that a proposal?” he asked.
Indeed it was. The crowd squealed with the glee as the happy couple appeared onscreen.
The band’s Musgrave Park concert comes following the release of the Dublin-based band’s stripped-down, live album, Our Roots Run Deep which was released in October 2022.
Like the concert, the album features a cross-section of Kodaline’s most treasured tunes as well as covers and is a celebration of the return to normality post-pandemic.
But as friends stand arm-in-arm, holding tightly onto plastic cups, it’s almost difficult to recall the days of no live gigs.
