Pale Waves release moving cover of The Cranberries’ ‘Zombie’: “There’s no one like Dolores and this song is so powerful”

Pale Waves have shared a powerful cover of The Cranberries’ classic song ‘Zombie’. Check it out below.

• READ MORE: Pale Waves – ‘Smitten’ review: loved-up liberation

The Manchester band first put their own spin on the classic protest song during their slot at Reading & Leeds over the summer, and it has since gone on to become a staple of their live shows.

Now, they have gone to the studio and recorded an official cover that is available now on streaming services. Stream it on Spotify here.

Like The Cranberries’ own Dolores O’Riordan, Pale Waves singer Heather Baron-Gracie captures the emotive, powerful message behind the 1994 track in her rendition.

The song was written in response to the death of two children in an IRA bombing in Warrington in 1993. Johnathan Ball was just three years old when two bombs in litter bins detonated on a shopping street, and 12-year-old Tim Parry died five days later.

O’Riordan went on to share how she was left “devastated” after hearing the news, and told Vox Magazine at the time that she was offended that those responsible for the bombs claimed to have done so in the name of Ireland.

“The IRA are not me. I’m not the IRA,” she told the outlet in 1994. “The Cranberries are not the IRA. My family are not. When it says in the song, ‘It’s not me, it’s not my family,’ that’s what I’m saying. It’s not Ireland, it’s some idiots living in the past.”

Sharing their cover of the song, Pale Waves said: “We love The Cranberries and I admire Dolores [O’Riordan] so deeply. There’s no-one like Dolores and this song is so powerful. It’s an honour.”

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‘Zombie’ was shared in September 1994 originally and went on to become The Cranberries’ biggest hit. It topped the charts in France, Germany and Australia, and reached the Number One position on the US alternative rock charts too.

BBC News highlights that the ‘90s saw O’Riordan decicate ‘Zombie’ to citizens of Bosnia and Rwanda, and add that it was a protest song that can apply to all different things across the world.

Speaking to NME in 1994, she said: “It doesn’t name terrorist groups or organisations. It doesn’t take sides. It’s a very human song.”

She continued: “To me, the whole thing [terrorism] is very confused. If these adults have a problem with these other adults well then, go and fight them. Have a bit of balls about it at least, you know?”

The Irish singer fronted the band from 1990 to 2003, when they went on hiatus. She was a part of their later reunion in 2009.

She died in January 2018, and her bandmates shared a tribute on how “she was an extraordinary talent and we feel very privileged to have been part of her life”.

As for Pale Waves, the band are currently on their 2025 ‘Still Smitten’ UK and Ireland tour, which has seen them go to places “often overlooked”.

The shows kicked off earlier this month, and come in support of their ‘Smitten’ album, which dropped last year. The dates wrap up with a penultimate show at Belfast’s Limelight tonight (Wednesday October 29), and tomorrow with a final stop at Cyprus Avenue in Cork. Find any remaining tickets here.

Their latest album was given four stars by NME, and the review shared that “‘Smitten’ is a loved-up record that’ll have you falling for Pale Waves all over again”.

“The fiery ‘Miss America’ is as urgent and defiant as anything on their last album, the dreamy ‘Thinking About You’ echoes The Cranberries, and ‘Seeing Stars’ is a burst of polished ’80s pop perfection,” it added. “But instead of echoing their greatest hits, Pale Waves constantly offer something new with a refreshing swagger.”

The post Pale Waves release moving cover of The Cranberries’ ‘Zombie’: “There’s no one like Dolores and this song is so powerful” appeared first on NME.