The Stunning Brew Up A Storm At Bulmers Live

With hits from Paradise in the Picture House to Twice Around The World, The Stunning took their fans on a journey through time and space last night.

The band took to the Bulmers Live stage following the last race of the day, in front of a massive crowd. Spectators of all ages were visibly in high spirits, beaming under the last rays of sunshine while pints flowed like water.

The show opened with ‘Brighten Up My Life’, their first new single in 24 years when it was released back in 2017, followed by ‘The Girl with the Curl.’ “The night is young, people," said Joe Wall. “We’re going to take you on a long journey to climax.”

The band went on to perform ‘December Sky’, followed by 'This Happy Girl’ - to which neither adults or children could help but head bop and move to.

By the time they played ‘The Hurt Inside’, the crowd had really warmed-up, and energetically cheered on the iconic band. "What an evening," said Wall, curious to know if there was any race winners amongst the audience, before keeping the show going with ‘Always You’.

A crowd-pleasing sing-a-long, ‘Half Past Two’ was next on the list. “These guys are like the Oasis of our generation, it’s a pure nostalgia trip,” remarked one eager fan, in between dance moves.

While the atmosphere was electric during the whole gig, things got emotional when Wall dedicated the song ‘To the Bright and Shining Sun’ to Irish comedian Brendan Grace, whose death was announced that morning. “He was a funny man who made me laugh so much when I was young,” said Wall, before giving all he had to the powerful ballad.

The crowd were later jumping around to the sound of ‘Everything that Rises’, getting into the fiery mood as they frenetically pounded feet onto the grass to the rhythm of the drums.

At this point the sky got cloudy and grey, and while a few drops began to fall, the audience remained highly enthusiastic - their perseverance chasing the rain away.

Wall took out his harmonica to accompany his singing of ‘She’s on My Mind,’ as the night fell on the Racecourse, creating a beautiful atmosphere.

When the band first left the stage after performing ‘Mister Ginger’ and their huge hit ‘Romeo’s on Fire,’ the crowd was having none of it, and kept clapping and whistling for them to come back.

“Not bad for a Thursday night, some craic,” exclaimed Wall, as the band stepped on stage again.

He delivered a great cover performance of ‘On The Road Again’ by Willie Nelson, whipping out his harmonica yet again to create a hypnotic blues ambiance.

At this point the crowd were holding their breath, waiting for what they knew was coming next. When the band finally hit the first few notes of their classic anthem 'Brewing Up a Storm', the whole crowd went into an immediate frenzy, shouting and dancing with their arms in the air.

The show came to an end under thunderous applause, with many delighted fans then queuing up to take a selfie with the iconic band and get their CDs and records signed.

A beautiful day at the racecourse, which The Stunning ended impeccably.

Photos: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane