Fontaines D.C. bring their latest album Skinty Fia to Rock City…
It’s incredible what Fontaines D.C. have managed to achieve in just three years since the release of their debut album Dogrel: topping charts, headlining festivals and winning the 2022 NME Awards ‘Best Band In The World’ title - just to name a few.
With their provoking, poetic lyrics and their grimy, industrial sound, I’m not surprised that the Dublin quintet are already making history as the instigators of an entire generation of literate, fierce post-punk bands.
To have had the chance to watch them play at Rock City was nothing short of incredible. The venue was absolutely packed, with a sold-out show that saw people of all ages gathered together in feverish anticipation.
Opening the night with the elegantly tense In ár gCroíthe Go Deo, Grian Chatten had everyone hold their breath in suspense before finally unleashing all his energy into A hero’s death and Sha Sha Sha.
The crowd responded, erupting in waves of raised arms and passionate lyric-shouting. Almost every song was met with the same electric enthusiasm, which is a testament of how much Fontaines D.C. mean to people.
The band ripped through their set, barely stopping to breathe - Grian hardly said a word, but he didn’t have to. Their songs said everything for him, allowing the audience to completely lose themselves in the music.
Fontaines wear the history of Ireland on their sleeve, especially with tracks like Oh such a spring and Boys in the better land where they grieve the loss of a world that is no longer familiar and kind, no longer a home.
A world that is left to be forgotten, losing its traditions and its people. There is an overarching sense of doom in a lot of their tracks, as the band explores topics such as paranoia, substance use, relationships, and even politics at times.
The highlight of the night for me was finally getting to see the hauntingly devastating I love you live. I mean, wow. At first glance it might seem like it’s taking the shape of a love song, but you soon realise it’s in fact a chilling statement about the dire state of Ireland and its run-down people.
“Every young man wants to die / Say it to the man in profits and the bastard walks by” - these two lines capture perfectly the anger and torment that young generations are experiencing in these times of political uncertainty.
Everyone was shouting the lyrics out with so much ardour and dedication, it felt like the crowd and the band members somehow fused together to form one collective, loud, and desperate cry for change.
The band’s quest for authenticity amidst a fast-changing world, fused with a love of poetry and romanticisation of their city, makes Fontaines D.C. feel all-encompassing yet at the same time, individual, intimate and local.
There’s so much to sit with and experience in their music, and their live performances only enhance that. ‘Best band in the world’? Well, they might just be.
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