SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE CRANBERRIES – LIVE AT THE LONDON ASTORIA II, 1994

THE CRANBERRIES
LIVE AT THE LONDON ASTORIA II, 1994
ISLAND RECORDS

I’ve already spoken about the peculiar happiness and melancholy that pervades any Cranberries release in 2026 in my recent take on their anniversary release, and this is another of those beautifully sad moments. The London Astoria gig is timeless for a number of reasons, but restored into a full-size record here, it simultaneously feels important enough to be from now and an incredible piece of nostalgia. It’s resorted superbly sonically – the band sound great, while Dolores O’Riordan sounds positively angelic – and the whole gig just has a wonderful energy to it. It’s full of the certainty of youth and the idea that The Cranberries would soon explode, which, of course, they did.

Song wise, “Zombie” is what you’ll come here for, of course, being that its one of the seminal performances of possibly their greatest song (also performed to absolute stunned silence, such is the weight of it), but please don’t sleep on the rest of the album, including bonus tracks like “So Cold In Ireland,” because it’s got some truly beautiful moments. This soars, and I’m really glad it’s out there for people to hear.

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