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Irish Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Fontaines DC's Grian Chatten: ‘Romance took a lot out of us. It was like a bomb went off, and then that silence'
In a room high above the Dublin city skyline, to rehash an early song title of theirs, Grian Chatten and Conor Deegan are surveying their kingdom. These days a Fontaines DC hometown gig feels like something of a victory lap. We're on the top floor of the Guinness Storehouse, where later tonight the group's frontman and bassist will join their bandmates on a double bill with Lankum as part of the Lovely Days Live gig series. The proceeds will go towards the Guinness Dublin 8 Community Fund, which has pledged to donate €1 million over the next five years to local community projects. 'I suppose,' Deegan says, 'at a certain point you kind of look at yourself and say, 'Am I purely an entertainer? Is that all that we're going to do? Are we going to be something for people to escape from the things in life, or [are we going to] deny them?'' He nods. 'We just wanted to use the platform that we have for some worthwhile things.' We're also just down the road from Fontaines' alma mater, Bimm Music Institute Dublin , where the five members of the band first met in 2014 and where they subsequently established a scholarship for students looking to follow in their globe-conquering footsteps. READ MORE [ Fontaines DC: Romance – Incredibly compelling indie rock that takes the Dublin band to the next level Opens in new window ] Chatten smiles as he remembers the band getting a horse-and-cart tour of the Liberties during their student days by a local self-proclaimed tour guide called Marius. 'And the horse was called Ringo,' Deegan says , which delights Chatten. 'Marius and Ringo,' he says with a sombre nod. 'Sounds like a Tolstoy novel, doesn't it?' The offhand literary reference is befitting for Chatten, who has become one of the finest lyricists and most compelling rock frontmen in recent memory. His band, meanwhile, are routinely referred to as one of the best in the world right now, or certainly the pre-eminent Irish band of their generation. 'My reaction to that is, 'Have you not heard Lankum ?'' Chatten protests as notes from that band's soundcheck drift through the open window. 'Lankum, to me, are one of the most concise versions of Ireland that I would like to believe in and live in. 'I've seen them a few times, but their set at Glastonbury [last year], and the crowd that they drew, that's a pride I never thought I'd feel.' He shakes his head. 'So I totally brush off the whole 'best band' thing, to be honest.' Like Lankum, Fontaines DC have been unafraid to use their platform for bigger issues. They are vocal supporters of Palestine , and later, at the gig, they will tell the crowd, 'No matter how scary it gets out there, don't stop talking about Palestine.' [ Grian Chatten of Fontaines DC: 'We were speeding off the edge of a cliff' Opens in new window ] We speak a few days after Mo Chara , of Kneecap , has been charged with a terror offence in the UK. Chatten, who collaborated with the Belfast trio on their album (which the Fontaines drummer, Tom Coll, also played on), is unequivocal in his support of the hip-hop group. 'It's a categorical witch hunt, and that's fairly plain to see to anyone who has a discerning eye,' he says. 'I stand by their side, and I'm totally unafraid to do so. I think all of us are. 'If Sinéad O'Connor was still around she'd be speaking up and [would] probably have another media storm raged against her, as well. So, yeah, that's what I think about it.' He shrugs. 'I just think when you become aware of the facts, how many people are dying' in Gaza , 'I don't really want to live in a world where people turn a blind eye to those things. And I think the best thing for us to do, as people with platforms, is to lead by example.' Fontaines DC. Photograph: Peter Joseph Smith The past year or so has been the busiest of the band's career. Since the release of their fourth album, Romance , last August, their profile has rocketed, winning them new fans globally, breaking new territories and scoring huge radio hits with songs such as Favourite and Starburster. Chatten, who says he had struggled with the fame that can come with being in a band, agrees that they are 'probably acclimatising to it on a deeper level now', allowing him to live in the moment more. Yet the band's ascent has been an undeniably steady one, which has helped in terms of keeping their feet on the ground and their egos in check – although Chatten sheepishly points to the sunglasses he's wearing. 'I'm just jet-lagged, and my eye bags are massive,' he says. Deegan likens Fontaines' rise to 'kind of like boiling a frog. I think if the band had blown up quickly on the first record to this level, then it probably might have hopped out,' he says. 'On a deeper point, it's reflective of the friendships that we have with each other. That's what's kept us going as a band, both literally and musically.' The past eight months have been the most hectic of the band's career, as Romance, an album that added new depth, scope, texture and colour to their sound, went global. Having mined their Irish upbringings on much of their previous material – from the famous opening line of Fontaines DC's debut album, Dogrel ('Dublin in the rain is mine/ A pregnant city with a Catholic mind') to sneering references to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on I Love You, from Skinty Fia , their 2022 album – it also arguably brought a newfound universality to their lyrics. 'I feel like on [Romance] we pushed each song to where it wanted to be, more than we have on any other album. On Here's the Thing, for example, we really committed to that sound,' Chatten says. 'Whereas I think maybe, in the past, we've slightly compromised by trying to make songs fit in with the rest of the album. 'I wouldn't want to put its universal appeal down to its un-Irishness, necessarily; sometimes making a culture a massive thing on an album probably doesn't resonate too much with people. But I do think that there's a lot on the album that can be a canvas for people to project their own emotions on to.' Fontaines DC's Grian Chatten and Conor Deegan. Photogroahg: Tom Honan The way that they write has inevitably changed as they have spent more time on the road. None of the band members now live in Dublin, and they don't necessarily write in a room together any more. 'That was what dictated the music a lot: what could be played together in a room,' Deegan says. 'But moving away from Ireland and going on the road, we weren't able to play with each other as much as we would have wanted to. 'There was a lot of writing going on with laptops in hotel rooms. And we got into the extra instruments that suddenly you're able to utilise when you're using software or things like that – the sound of the mellotron, for example – and it opened up our sound. We basically started making music and then following up how to play it [live] afterwards. Just letting ourselves be free from that restriction.' Where might the band go next? They've jammed some new material during soundchecks on their recent tour. 'We're starting to get that curiosity back again,' Deegan says. 'But it's the beginning stages, and we're still wrapped up in this tour, and [we need to be] present in the moment with this album.' 'Yeah,' Chatten says, nodding. 'I feel like Romance took a lot out of us, personally and creatively. It was kind of like a bomb went off, and there was just that postbomb silence, a ringing of the ears. So I think we're still being that album a little bit, if that makes sense. It demands a lot of us. And [in terms of] moving on, it seems like I'm not necessarily ready to say goodbye to this version of ourselves yet.' The song ideas that they have been tentatively jamming, he says, are difficult to pin to a genre or style. 'There's an awful lot of variety, which isn't necessarily helpful in figuring out what our next album is going to sound like,' he says. 'But, again, we're just letting the songs be themselves, and giving them the time of day. With Romance it felt like there was a very conscious choice behind where we went with it, aesthetically and sonically, compared to the first three. I want the next album to be the same.' Fontaines DC on stage at the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin. Photograph: Tom Honan They aren't convinced by the idea of writing something overtly political but will continue to speak up when necessary. 'It needs to not feel too blunt, and still have a sense of art and self-expression,' Chatten says. 'Lankum draw on a reservoir of tradition, so that kind of blesses everything that they do that's political with a sense of artistry. 'In terms of songwriting, it's difficult for me to justify shouting blunt orders into a microphone and not feel like I've lost something creatively, you know? There is a lot to be said for creating art that stirs people's emotions in a certain direction without doing that.' There are still some personal ambitions to be fulfilled, too. Deegan has plans for a solo album at some point. The other members of Fontaines DC – Coll and the guitarists Conor Curley and Carlos O'Connell – have all had side projects, including producing and even acting, in O'Connell's case. Chatten, who has already released a solo album, Chaos for the Fly , has spoken about wanting to publish a book of poetry by the time he turns 30 – which is in July. 'Let's say by the time I'm 32 now,' he says, jokingly. The band has been shifting, 'with people having children and stuff', Deegan says, referring to O'Connell's two-year-old daughter. 'Grian's not 30 yet, but the rest of us are in our 30s now, and there's a kind of a shift mentally for some of us, and what our priorities might be. 'And I think that's beautiful, to be honest. We've been working hard for our 20s to build this thing, and maybe the ambitions don't need to always be music, you know? Maybe they can be something else.' It all seems a long way from the days of Marius and Ringo, of snatched moments of jams between soul-corroding day jobs, of the heady days when they could only dream about being a band that mattered to so many. What's the biggest difference between the Fontaines who released Dogrel, in 2019, and the Fontaines of today? 'About 10 kilos for me,' Chatten deadpans. 'No, I'm only messing – it's probably a lot more.' He smiles, then sighs. 'I don't know. I think that it was inevitable for the sound to change, for us to do away a little bit with the minimalism that we made a virtue of in the early days. I think we've become a little bit like maximalist in our approach now, a bit more cinematic, I suppose.' They look a mixture of bemused and horrified at the thought of Fontaines DC being around for another 20 or 30 years. Do they see themselves as a legacy band? Chatten mulls it over for a moment. 'I don't know.' He shrugs again. 'I'm sure there's going to come a point where we don't really understand what's hip and trendy and all that kind of craic any more, you know? 'And we won't be parading around in a school uniform, like Angus Young.' He allows himself a smile. 'I'd rather put my faith in kind of accepting ourselves. As Deego says, priorities are changing. I think as long as we don't miscast ourselves in the future, we'll be all right.' Fontaines DC play the All Together Now festival, at Curraghmore Estate in Co Waterford, on Friday, August 1st. A bonus turquoise-vinyl edition of Romance , including a 7in of the new songs It's Amazing to Be Young and Before You I Just Forget, is out on Friday, July 18th
Irish Times
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Fontaines DC at Guinness Storehouse: A match made in heaven
Fontaines DC are the biggest Irish band in the post-band era. Bands are too much trouble – members won't do what they are told and an anachronism in a world where music, as Bono remarks, is increasingly assembled and not created. That they exist at all in the current music landscape is a marvel, but they are a band that has progressed with each album and kept a multigenerational fan base. Fontaines DC in the grounds of Dublin city's most famous tourist attraction, the Guinness Storehouse, was a match made in marketing heaven. Last weekend's Lovely Days Live was a successful attempt to marry top-class music with promotional activities without the flak visited on the Arthur's Day shindigs a decade ago. READ MORE The Storehouse is 25 years old and looms over the concert venue in the old yard at the front gates. Tickets for this concert and Saturday's one by CMAT were subject to a ballot and were immediately sold out. Grian Chatten stomps around the stage and cajoles the crowd into singing along, not that they need an invitation. Photograph: Tom Honan As a music venue, it is not optimal. It feels hemmed in between old buildings, the ground slopes down from the stage making it difficult to see at the back. The organisers should include a big screen the next time – if there is a next time. Lead singer Grian Chatten stomps around the stage wearing a scarf and shades on a cool and gloomy evening. He prowls and scowls and cajoles the crowd into singing along, not that they need an invitation. 'Dublin in the rain is mine, a pregnant city with a Catholic mind,' he sings on Big. There was no rain thankfully, as there's no shelter. Fontaines DC are one of the many Irish acts exercised by what is happening in Gaza at present and the looming court case involving Kneecap's Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara. There was no rain thankfully, as there's no shelter. Photograph: Tom Honan He was charged by UK police with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hizbullah at a gig in London last November. He's due to appear in court in London on June 18th. Chatten dedicated their performance of Favourite to Kneecap manager Daniel Lambert, who is also the chief operating officer for Bohemians FC. The club brought out a Fontaines DC themed third strip last year that was very much in evidence on Sunday. 'Never be scared to talk about Palestine,' Chatten said, which was followed by a smattering of 'free Palestine' chants from the crowd. Later, he shouted, 'free Kneecap, free Palestine' as he walked offstage following the closing song Starburster. [ Workman's Club heyday: Where we rubbed shoulders with Paul Mescal, Fontaines DC and Morrissey Opens in new window ] Lankum's brand of soporific Celtic drone music needs a more intimate venue than this and it did not help that much of their gear never arrived from Stockholm. The band did, however, get animated about Gaza, as well. 'Genocide is for losers. If you do not call out genocide, you're an even f**king bigger loser,' came the cry from the stage. The muted cheers suggested most of those present were there for the music, not the politics. Conor Deegan of Fontaines DC. Photograph: Tom Honan Grian Chatten expressed support for Kneecap's Mo Chara. Photograph: Tom Honan
Perth Now
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Fontaines D.C. and Kneecap announce outdoor Belfast gig
Fontaines D.C. will be joined by fellow Irishmen Kneecap at Belfast Vital 2025. The 'Starburster' rockers have announced a huge outdoor gig at Boucher Road Playing Fields on August 29, as part of the 2025 festival in Northern Ireland. Fans who sign up to their mailing list before 8am on Wednesday (23.04.25) will be able to gain early access to tickets. A general sale will follow on Friday (25.04.25). Fontaines - who just announced a show with another Irish act, Lankum, at the Home of Guinness in Dublin on May 25 - have a couple of gigs with Kneecap this year. Kneecap are among the stacked bill joining Grian Chatten and co at London's Finsbury Park on Saturday, July 5. And at their massive Manchester concert at Wythenshawe Park on August 15. Amyl and the Sniffers, Blondshell, Been Stellar, and Cardinals will also join Fontaines in London. Fontaines — completed by guitarists Conor Curley and Carlos O'Connell, bassist Conor Deegan III, and drummer Tom Coll — broke onto the scene in 2019 with their debut album 'Dogrel'. Their fourth studio album 'Romance' found widespread success last summer, peaking at No. 2 in the Official UK Album Chart, and earned them two Grammy nods. The band are amid their mammoth sold-out 'Romance' world tour, with the next stop in Denver, Colorado on April 22.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fontaines D.C. Combine Bring Me the Horizon and Nirvana for ‘Like a Version' Cover
Fontaines D.C. have paid tribute to both Bring Me the Horizon and Nirvana during a recent cover performance. The Irish rockers unveiled their cover of Bring Me the Horizon's 2013 single 'Can You Feel My Heart' as part of an appearance on Like a Version, the long-running covers segment from Australian radio station triple j. More from Billboard U2 Are First Irish Songwriters to Be Named Fellows of the Ivors Academy Dancehall Star 1Ski OG Is Back With Two New Songs - And a New Stage Name The New York Pops to Honor Diane Warren at Carnegie Hall The performance was recorded earlier in the month, during the band's recent tour of Australia, though it was broadcast on the morning of Friday, March 21 (Australia time). Though triple j have long presented the covers as being live, Fontaines D.C. vocalist Grian Chatten told fans on Monday (March 17) the band were forced to cancel a run of shows in Mexico and Latin America after he suffered a herniated disc which left him unable to perform. As is standard for Like a Version, Fontaines D.C.'s appearance launched with a rendition of an original, with the band tearing through 2024's 'Starburster' before debuting their Bring Me the Horizon tribute. Though officially billed as a rendition of 'Can You Feel My Heart,' the performance shifts focus after the first chorus and sees Chatten instead singing the lyrics to Nirvana's 1993 single 'Heart-Shaped Box.' 'I think the sound of that song, the electronic elements, and just the general vibe of it kind of reflects stuff that we were touching on our last album, Romance,' explained guitarist Conor Curley in a post-performance interview. 'It kind of seemed like a good place to start, and it's a moody, beautiful song. I always get a little a bit nostalgic about that band just because it reminds me of reading and crying as a teenager and stuff like that, so I've always kind of kept tabs on them.' ''Heart-Shaped Box' is an absolute classic,' he added in reference to Nirvana's appearance in the performance. 'Grian just started singing it when we were getting the sounds, and it was almost kind of like, 'Do we switch it to that and use the instrumentation?' So, it kind of just made sense.' Notably, it's not the first time that Fontaines D.C. have been the focus of the Like a Version studio in recent months. In February, Porter Robinson used his appearance on the segment to cover the band's 2024 single 'Favourite.' ''Favourite' was, no pun intended, one of my favorite songs of the last year,' Robinson said after the fact. 'It was the song that made me a fan of Fontaines D.C. I just love it. I love major-key music. I love music that's extremely catchy and extremely hooky. And I love the way that this song feels like it's constantly tumbling forward.' Having first launched in 2004, the Like a Version series has gone from being a near-impromptu acoustic affair to featuring larger studio productions. Numerous artists have taken part over the past two decades, with the likes of Billie Eilish, Childish Gambino, Arctic Monkeys, and more reinventing classic tracks in the process. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
