02/08/2013 00:00
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STAFF REPORTER IRISH rock group, the Cranberries, a leading musical light of the 1990s, are to play at the bullring in Palma on Saturday, 31st July at 10pm. Currently on a world tour, the repertoire of the quartet led by charismatic Dolores O'Riordan crosses the boundaries of “alternative rock”, “post-punk” and more recently, “pop rock.” The band made it's sparkling professional debut in 1993 with “Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?” but it wasn't until the release of the group's second disc in 1994, “No Need To Argue,” that the Cranberries stormed their way to the top of international charts.


Their recipe for success lay in a fusion of the classic sounds of “grunge” and “shoegazing”, spiced with a touch of melodic pop, and all crowned with Dolores' extraordinary voice. There were more than 16 million copies of Need To Argue sold worldwide.

1995 was a very prosperous year for the band. They made their own first “Unplugged” recording (a musical editing programme which caused a furore at the time) and the resulting song put out on general release “Zombie” was awarded for being the best of the year. Not long into 1996, the Cranberries' To the Faithful Departed explored new dimensions of musical style. The departure from their usual stomping ground was a resounding success and the draw they exerted on the public shrank not one millimetre.

However, at about this time, some press photographs revealed the deteriorating state of health of Dolores.
Undernourished and emaciated, it was clear that the singer was suffering from anorexia. A major tour was cancelled with organisers covering the reality of the situation by saying that Dolores had developed knee problems. The group remained off the scene for a year.

Bury the Hatchet was released in 1999 and Wake up and Smell the Coffee followed in 2001. These recordings were the last of the Cranberries before their break-up which was to stretch to six years.

It was to the delight of their fans, however, that O'Riordan confirmed in 2009 that the group would be getting back together again and would be performing live.