The Information on: The Cranberries

Who Are They?

Limerick rock foursome, spearheaded by the warbling, newly blonde Dolores O'Riordan (below, rumoured to be the fifth richest woman in the British Isles), and currently attempting a comeback with a new album, Bury the Hatchet, and their first full show for more than two years (Shepherd's Bush Empire on Monday). Despite having cracked America and selling almost 30 million albums worldwide, the band's last offering, For the Faithful Departed, was universally dissed, and lingering doubts remain about O'Riordan's persistent yodelling: one critic recently advised the rest of the band to go solo.

What They Say About Them

"Sporting a blonde fringe, and clad in black, O'Riordan looked like a militant Nolan sister... `Linger' met with a rapturous reception, but even here O'Riordan sounded bored with her own melodic skill, barking at the crowd to `sing it'," Mike Higgins, The Independent. "The Cranberries seem stranded between the sublime and the ridiculous, milking a limited repertoire of weary vocal tics and increasingly graceless melodies," Stephen Dalton, The Times. "While O'Riordan stalked the stage like a tigress in search of tasty stage-divers, the rest of the group languished in unlit corners. Talk about keeping them in their place," Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian.

Where You Can Catch Them

The band are gearing up for a world tour, with further British dates in November (yet to be confirmed). Their new album, Bury the Hatchet, has just been released on Mercury Records.