SATURDAY’S orchestral concert by The Cranberries at York Barbican now comes with new strings attached.

On Wednesday afternoon, the sold-out show was postponed after Dolores O’Riordan’s doctors instructed the Irish singer to cease work immediately for the next four weeks, putting 14 dates on hold.

A statement from The Cranberries reads: “We are working hard to try and re-schedule these shows to future dates and will post further news updates as soon as we can.

“We sincerely hope that you will hold on to your ticket...but if not, please go to place of purchase for your ticket to be refunded. We are very sorry for all and any inconvenience and disappointment that this causes our fans; the decision has not been taken lightly but Dolores’ health is paramount.”

The Celtic-tinged rock band from Limerick City, Ireland, were to have performed specially-orchestrated versions of the likes of Linger, Zombie and Dreams in the company of a string quartet on their Greatest Hits Tour.

“We’ve done acoustic performances before, but this tour is the first time we’ve played a tour with a quartet, though we did do a show for American TV with a quartet at Christ Church, Dublin,” said Dolores, when in better voice.

The tour coincides with the April 28 release of The Cranberries’ seventh studio album Something Else, comprising “unplugged” and orchestral versions of ten singles and three new songs: The Glory, penned by O’Riordan in the Irish Chamber Orchestra’s rehearsal rooms at the University of Limerick during the two-week recording sessions; Rupture, a song rooted in “being in a black hole of depression and finding it hard to get out of it”, and Why, composed by O’Riordan “just after my father passed, the hardest time”.

"Working this way is a challenge, something new for us," said Dolores. "We did a week of rehearsals at the University of Limerick with musicians from the Irish Chamber Orchestra, who then played on the record and did the Dublin show."

For the tour, Dolores says the management will choose the string quartet for the shows: "We're taking sheet music with us for a string quartet to rehearse on the day," she said.

She is delighted with how the orchestral revamps have worked out. “It’s surprising how they do, because they’re rock songs, but we chose carefully what songs to put on the record, deciding which ones would work well. We went with a lot of the songs that we would play live, one or two from each album,” said Dolores.

“I really like Dreams; I think the new version is lovely, and I love Ridiculous Thoughts too, though Linger is not that different as it had an orchestra on the original version!”

The timing is right for this record and tour, suggests Dolores. “I think it’s a really good idea to do it now after 25 years as a band, and it’s nice for the fans who’ve been with us all that time,” said the 45-year-old singer, who now divides her life between Limerick and New York, her partner's home city.

“Some people would like more new material, and we’re always working away on writing new songs, but I used to write faster when I was younger. “I find I’m more picky now about the songs and it’s a little bit harder to think outside the box. It’s hard not write just like what you know has worked before.”

"I find I'm more picky now about the songs and it's a little bit harder to think outside the box. It's hard not write just like what you know has worked before."


Did you know?
In 2016, The Cranberries received a BMI Award for three million radio plays in the United States for their biggest hit, the aptly named 1993 single Linger. The band have sold 40 million albums worldwide.