Yesterday in Dublin in a full-house 3Arena were the 50th anniversary celebrations of Hot Press magazine. A special event/concert named “Hot Press 50 · History In The Making”
Among many artists, featured Mike and Noel Hogan for a special performance with Dermot Kennedy, just like it happened at Electric Picnic last year (without the full orchestra!)
The set was possibly 4 songs, three from The Cranberries, “Linger”, “Zombie”, “Dreams”, and one from Dermot Kennedy, “Funeral” (the first single of his 3rd album).
“Linger” was definitely the opening, “Dreams” the last one, so “Funeral” and “Zombie” were possibly the second and third ones, or the opposite.
Dermot Kennedy shared a few Instagram Stories from the show (videos and photos) as well as a few snippets from the rehearsals and soundcheck earlier in the day. Have a look before they disappear!
The 4 songs filmed in 4K from the front row were shared on YouTube by user Kjed4ever.
Special thanks to her!
Also available, the live report published by Hot Press on hotpress.com
3 more “Uncertain” items have been added today both on the US and UK stores. A tote bag, a hoodie and a logo t-shirt. The other 2 (crewneck and t-shirt) were already available.
The “Uncertain” page on the UK store was updated today with 2 major changes. The vinyl is now listed as 140g instead of 180g originally and the release date is now 13 February instead of 6 March.
Those who already ordered have also received an email from universal:
Let’s note that the same page on the US store (see screenshot below) does not mention the 180g anymore, nor 140g. Weird! Then comes a question, are there 2 different pressings (US and UK/Europe) or is there only one (the US one) arriving in Europe next week and in fact 140g? Time will tell…
Celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the “Uncertain” EP this year (originally released in October 1991), The Cranberries debut EP is reissued today in a special remastered edition cranberry-color 180g vinyl pressed at 45 RPM and with numbered deluxe jacket.
Available on the official store of the band here (US, shipping next week) or here (UK, shipping in March) as well as a T-Shirt and a Crewneck.
The rare and never officially released “Uncertain” music video was also posted on YouTube for the occasion, remastered in HD and including a few extra frames!
Possibly not the best day for that kind of news, but Dermot Kennedy, Noel and Mike Hogan have just been announced as the latest additions to the line-up for the special event “Hot Press 50 · History In The Making · The Concert”
It will take place next month, 6 February 2026, in Dublin at 3Arena as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Hot Press magazine and including the launch of a special limited edition book “History In the Making: The Book of Hot Press Interviews”
The concert will also feature Van Morrison, Imelda May, The Boomtown Rats, The Frames, Damien Dempsey, Clannad. Picture This, Florence Road, Belters Only, Denise Chaila and Irish Women in Harmony.
Tickets available on ticketmaster.ie (€68.20 to €88.75)
A rarely-before seen musical program which originally aired on 21 July 1995 on the Spanish channel TVE was recently rebroadcast. It includes about 2 minutes (from 32:14 to 34:08) of “Zombie” live in concert possibly in Madrid. The replay is available on rtve.es (for registered users only) and also on YouTube shared by user SitocamTV. The video is upscaled to 1080p pillarbox to respect the original format.
The rarely-before seen 5-min episode aired on WCVB-TV and includes fragments of the concert in Boston at Orpheum Theatre on 13 May 1995. The video is upscaled to 1080p pillarbox to respect the original format. Thanks to the producer of the show Richard Tilkin for sharing it on YouTube just a couple of days ago.
The Cranberries were awarded “The Icon Award” yesterday at the 3rd annual “Rolling Stone UK Awards” which took place at the Roundhouse, Camden in London.
Noel Hogan was the only one of the lads who traveled to London to receive the award on behalf of the band. He was also joined by the Australian band/duo Royel Otis (who went viral recently with their cover of “Linger”) to close out the ceremony with a special tribute performance to the late Dolores O’Riordan…playing “Linger” all together.
Watch a short video of Noel and Royel Otis on the red carpet posted on Twitter/X by Rolling Stone UK.
Watch Noel accepting “The Icon Award” (and presented by Dermot Kennedy) published by Rolling Stone UK on their socials (Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube).
The full performance with Royel Otis has not been shared officially yet; for now you can only watch 35 seconds posted by Royel Otis on socials (Facebook, Instagram).
EDIT (6.30PM): The full video is now officially available on YouTube.
A few photos (red carpet, and with the award) have also been published in the article by rte.ie
…and with Dermot Kennedy (photo shared by satellite414 on Instagram).
Journalist Abby Rampling who attended the ceremony also posted 2 photos from the audience on Twitter/X (speech and performance).
UPDATE · 21 NOVEMBER
See the best photos from the winners’ room, including one with Noel Hogan where you can clearly read the trophy’s plaque, on rollingstone.co.uk
Photo by Kit Oates.
UPDATE · 24 NOVEMBER
Rolling Stone UK caught up with Noel on the red carpet where he talked about the legacy of the band’s songs. Published on their Twitter/X and Facebook.
November 14, 2025 | Comments Off on rollingstone.co.uk “Noel Hogan & Royel Otis to headline the Rolling Stone UK Awards 2025” | by Axl | The Cranberries
In tribute to the late Dolores O’Riordan and to celebrate The Cranberries being awarded the Icon Award, Noel Hogan will be joined by Royel Otis for a special tribute performance at the Rolling Stone UK Awards to take place on 20 November 2025 at the Roundhouse, Camden.
Fergal interviewed on “Verbal Shenanigans” #537
The podcast is available on podbean.com as well as many platforms like Spotify, Amazon Music, BoomPlay…
A new audio bootleg surfaced on YouTube today shared by user Seattle Live Recordings, and recorded from the audience on 11 September 1993 in Seattle (USA). Special thanks to taper Travis Stanley!
Setlist: Intro speech Intro tape
1. Pretty
2. Sunday
3. Linger
4. I Still Do
5. So Cold In Ireland
6. I Can’t Be With You
7. Put Me Down
8. How
9. Wanted
10. Not Sorry cut (probably tape flip) 11. Waltzing Back
12. Dreams
13. Zombie
14. Liar
15. False
16. I Will Always
17. Still Can’t…
November 7, 2025 | Comments Off on 1st image: “MTV Unplugged” white vinyl with alternate cover | by Axl | The Cranberries
Out today, all the “MTV Unplugged” editions (physical and digital); below the limited white vinyl exclusively for Complex with alternate cover and sticker with their name on it… and not so exclusive in the end!
Thanks to bengansrecordstore on Instagram for the first photo.
November 4, 2025 | Comments Off on 1st images: “MTV Unplugged” black vinyl edition | by Axl | The Cranberries
Below the first images of the “MTV Unplugged” standard black vinyl edition posted a couple of days ago on Facebook by Jonathan Thornton who received his review copy quite early! Special thanks to him.
Fergal is appearing on the episode #425 shared yesterday on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Podbean, Castbox, Podhero and so many more… all the links here.
Podcast duration: 46 minutes
The video was also shared on YouTube, duration 26 minutes.
October 21, 2025 | Comments Off on alternativenation.net “The Cranberries News, History & updates, Biography, by Fergal Lawler” | by Axl | The Cranberries
Another great share on dimeadozen.org a couple of days ago. Please note that you have to be a member of the site to view the page and download.
A major video upgrade recorded at Alabamahalle in München on 24 October 1994. The show was rebroadcast last Friday on German TV “ARD Alpha” and immediately shared in HD 720p on Dime. A very famous concert circulating in trading circles for 30+ years in poor quality now perfect… at last!
Special thanks to user nirtorr.
For those who have no access to Dimeadozen, the video captured by another user (Alexa) is available on guitars101.com and was also uploaded on YouTube.
The MTV Unplugged Alabaster White LP first announced as a Complex Shop exclusive and available on complex.com appears to be not so exclusive after all!
It is now available for pre-order in a few more shops, like cede.ch in Switzerland, jukebox.ch still in Switzerland, wom.de in Germany, jpc.de still in Germany and there is a good chance that more shops will appear soon as well as more continents.
For now, a good news for European customers to avoid US custom taxes!
Conclusion, never pre-order too fast…
Available in a variety of formats, including a CD, a crystal-clear colored LP, a standard black LP, and an exclusive white LP with an alternate cover (only on Complex Shop and not yet available at this very moment). Edit: now available on complex.com
To be honest, these recordings are some of the worst sound qualities ever but at least they exist. The 1994 show even includes “Disappointment” rarely recorded in concert!
September 7, 2025 | Comments Off on AUDIO BOOTLEG · Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre · 31 August 1995 | by Axl | The Cranberries
A new audio bootleg surfaced on YouTube exactly 30 years after the concert. Recorded by Shayne Stacy on DAT at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA, USA, on 31 August 1995.
September 2, 2025 | Comments Off on hotpress.com “Noel and Mike Hogan discuss EP reunion performance in Hot Press interview” | by Axl | The Cranberries
We are back from Electric Picnic, where we went with Cranberries Mexico, and here is our review!
Following the festival’s announcement on 20 August 2025, we felt it was important to attend Electric Picnic for what was to be a unique performance of the Hogan brothers with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra & a mysterious special guest, especially as Noel hinted in an interview earlier this week that this would be a one-off event with no plan to go back on the road. Such an appearance could therefore well never happen again!
The Hogans had been invited to perform The Cranberries’ repertoire accompanied by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. As Noel explained to the audience when stepping on stage, they had chosen Dermot Kennedy on vocals since neither of them are singers themselves, “Mike and I cannot sing so we asked a friend of ours to join us”. It turned out to be a smart move in our opinion as a female singer might have been perceived as bad taste, a misguided attempt to replace Dolores. Kennedy, on the other hand, is one of Ireland’s most acclaimed voices, blending folk and hip-hop with over a million followers and no need to borrow the spotlight. In fact, we could see on site that many of the younger festival-goers had gathered in front of the main stage more for Dermot than for The Cranberries’ catalogue!
It’s worth remembering that Electric Picnic, very much like Glastonbury in the UK, is Ireland’s largest festival (80,000 people a day!) and sells out within hours before a single act is announced. The audience the band was thus expected to sing to is predominantly Irish, coming each year for the Electric Picnic experience regardless of the line-up. In this context, the choice of Dermot Kennedy seems to us to make perfect sense, even though we weren’t there to judge Dermot’s voice against Dolores’ – it’s fair to note that his wide vocal range allowed him to handle the songs with competence.
On a day alternating between heavy clouds, wind gusts, showers, and rare clearings, we were lucky that the rain stopped just as the Hogans and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra took the stage. After a short introduction from Noel — amusingly, his very first time speaking into the mic “just going to be talking so… this is my first time” — and a warm welcome from the crowd, the show began, surprisingly, with “This Is The Day”… a lovely surprise for us as we were expecting to hear only the most popular hits the Irish audience is familiar with.
This Is The Day
From the very first notes, emotions ran high: the beauty of the orchestral arrangements, the joy of seeing the brothers smiling again after those years of grief (Mike’s emotions perhaps more discreet, but let’s keep in mind it must have been pretty intense and emotional for them too), the sense of closure of being able to enjoy these songs one last time, and of course the constant thought of Dolores.
Noel gave a second speech before “Free To Decide” unfortunately, his mic cut out front-of-house, so it’s impossible to know what he said. Perhaps he introduced the musicians on drums and second guitar (we only caught their first names – Phil and Ben ?), or did he say a word about Dolores, we’ll never know…
After all, this wasn’t so much a tribute to Dolores concert, but as Dermot himself explained later in the set, more of Ireland’s homage to a musical legacy that has shaped Irish citizens lives and history, “to be up here singing songs that are such an important part of Irish music history means an awful lot to me so I’m very very grateful to be here doing this” and that’s exactly how we perceived it too. That’s how special it felt out there, the atmosphere at Stradbally Hall was profoundly reverent, almost contemplative, as if the huge audience — weary after two days of festival and braving the rain — understood the significance of showing up, despite the fact that most Irish people really know only a handful of Cranberries songs to be honest: “Zombie” (immortalized at rugby matches since Dolores’s passing), “Dreams” (adopted by Limerick’s hurling team since 2018), “Linger” and “When You’re Gone”.
So of course, when “Linger” began, Noel invited the crowd to sing along with Dermot, and they all joined in singing along in unison, goosebumps all around. The fact the concert turned into a collective ritual made the trip worthwhile. It was clear this was always going to be a giant singalong rather than a test of the guest vocalist’s prowess — hence perhaps why Dermot’s name had only been revealed a few hours before the show, since this wasn’t what mattered most.
Linger (incomplete)
The emotion was obviously palpable on “When You’re Gone”…
When You’re Gone
Then Noel asked his fellow musicians to speed things up, “a bit… like… a lot…” (lol!) after realizing the set was running late. Here we found Noel Hogan in a role reminiscent of a conductor, much like during the “Something Else” tour in 2017, where the string section relied on him to launch songs and keep track of things.
“Salvation” brought a last chance to jump around to a classic from “To The Faithful Departed”
Another emotional highlight was “Ode To My Family” and just like on the other tracks, Dermot wisely stepped back here, avoiding any attempt to imitate Dolores’ “tu tu lu tu” or her signature live yodels. He left those either to the orchestra or to the crowd, which made the performance feel less painful and all the more genuine. The same happened with “Just My Imagination” where we were spared the elongated “not my, not my, not my…” — again, a choice we appreciated.
On “Ridiculous Thoughts” the strings took over the vocal intro once sung by Dolores, and more recently handled by backing singer Johanna Cranitch.
Ridiculous Thoughts (incomplete)
As the set neared its end, gorgeous orchestral arrangements of “Promises” gave way, to our delight, to “Dreams”, a stunning instrumental medley that took us completely by surprise. And finally, as Noel announced, “This is gonna be our last song, I bet you know what this is gonna be” the band launched into “Zombie”. Once again on these two tracks, the audience carried the song with full voice, turning those into a hymn of collective release.
Dreams
You may spot Dermot Kennedy and Mike taking their in-ear monitors off on our “Dreams” video to listen to the crowd.
For us, it was a beautiful farewell. We left with hearts full — touched, grateful, and somewhat relieved to have been able to say goodbye to The Cranberries’ live legacy in such a poignant and meaningful way. What made it even more special was the humility of the performers, the Hogans, the RTÉ Orchestra, Dermot Kennedy — all stepping back somehow leaving space for a collective embrace of the music itself. Let’s here use the occasion to remind the haters that most of these songs were co-written by the man on stage, Noel Hogan, whose legitimacy to perform them could never be in doubt.
Thank you, Noel & Mike, and congratulations to the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and Dermot Kennedy for delivering this truly epic moment of Irish collective communion — one that we will remember with both smiles and tears <3
September 1, 2025 | Comments Off on hotpress.com “Live Report: The Cranberries plus Dermot Kennedy leave Electric Picnic speechless…..” | by Axl | The Cranberries
August 31, 2025 | Comments Off on Dermot Kennedy special guest! | by Axl | The Cranberries
Dermot Kennedy is the special guest playing at Electric Picnic today with the Hogan bros and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. This was just announced on the festival official accounts like Facebook etc…
August 27, 2025 | Comments Off on leinsterexpress.ie “WATCH: Cranberries brothers (LOL!!) perform as we get first look inside EP25” | by Axl | The Cranberries
Except the facts that according to the title of the article it must be Mike in tuxedo on the piano, and that we barely hear Noel’s guitar… it’s a nice 47-sec video recorded yesterday at Electric Picnic press day!
