Boney M review: Short but sweet set at Opera House for Cork Jazz Festival
Maizie Williams performing with Boney M at Cork Opera House on Saturday for the Guinness Cork Jazz festival. Picture: Darragh Kane
It might be a jazz festival, but on Saturday night it was a disco headliner that energised the crowds at Cork Opera House as Boney M featuring Maizie Williams took to the stage.
Performing two shows in one night for the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, it was a mood-boosting homage to the group’s mega-hits, from to with crowd-pleasing opening the show.
The group, whose current lineup includes original member Williams, now 75, delighted a sold-out audience with 10 of their hits from across the decades.
Boney M passed the 50-year anniversary milestone two years ago but despite the band’s 1970s origins, the crowd at Cork Opera House was quite youthful, which came as a surprise to some lifelong fans.
However, younger generations are enraptured with tracks like which has gone viral as a dance routine on TikTok and was rereleased as a remix in 2021 with great chart success.
That song’s performance saw the Cork audience amp up their energy, with some dedicated fans even attempting the dance.
The band’s fans were singing loud and proud during the hour-long set, with Williams remarking: “Boney M has a massive choir behind them here.”
It was clear there were passionate fans in attendance, and some of their lesser-known songs still had plenty of onlookers singing along word for word, with no noticeable energy dips during niche or down-tempo tunes.
“What a pleasure it is to be here tonight. We are very privileged, very thankful, and we are humbled — thank you so much,” Williams added during the gig.
The latest members of the group blended together well on some of Boney M’s best-loved tracks and a stirring cover of with vocalist Jackie Deane particularly impressing with a soulful performance of to close the show.
The short runtime of the show had some fans expressing a wish it went on longer than just under 70 minutes as they exited the venue.
Even a pre-Halloween performance of their festive hit would have soothed those heading home a little earlier than expected, though with a second show beckoning just over two hours later, the need to rest the voices may have been a factor.
Either way, it's clear Boney M’s fans would welcome the group back to Cork for a longer night of disco.
