An intense set from Irish post-punk five piece Fontaines D.C. ignites the crowd at Edinburgh’s O2 Academy as lustrous layers of textured guitar punctuate Grian Chatten’s poetic perfection.
Support tonight is from London-based Wunderhorse, Jacob Slater’s latest project. Slater previously fronted Dead Pretties and recently played Paul Cook in FX’s Pistol. Tonight his band perform a polished set showcasing latest album Cub, with a classic rock edge guaranteed to impress. Soothing vocals and guitar intertwine beautifully on Teal while Leader Of The Pack’s old soul recalls The White Stripes. But it’s the mesmerising Butterflies that tops the set for me with its mournful riff, Slater’s vocals drowsy and restrained as gutsy bass digs deeper, almost like Radiohead slipping into the black hole left by Soundgarden. Wunderhorse is a refreshing blast echoing the past and a fantastic live proposition. Catch them if you can, they’re going to be big!
Fontaines D.C. vocalist Grian Chatten takes to the stage with bassist Conor Deegan, drummer Tom Coll and guitarists Conor Curley and Carlos O’Connell, the latter the only band member to willing indulge in any extravagant rock ’n’ roll thrusts throughout the night. Although Chatten gives nothing away and offers up no banter, he clearly has an unspoken connection with the crowd and at one point accepts an Ireland flag which he proudly holds up.
Opening with Nabokov from this year’s Skinty Fia, the band’s third album in so many years, Chatten’s stark laments are enveloped by the band’s corrosive wall of brazen discord, evoking a similar claustrophobic chaos to The Cure’s Fascination Street.
Next up, A Lucid Dream from 2020’s Grammy-nominated A Hero’s Death sees the crowd’s chanting move up a level as Coll’s marching drum crashes headfirst into an uplifting chorus of swirling guitars, shadowed by deliciously gloomy undertones. Deegan’s brooding bass underlines Chatten’s no-frills verse as he reflects on the Easter Rising, tugging at his oversized t-shirt as if to emphasis a point.
Ireland, and being Irish, bears down heavy on the band’s lyrics, social and political themes snaking their way into most of the songs as Chatten’s dry Dublin drawl illuminates his spoken word delivery which floats in and out of melodies. Dressed in trousers so baggy they could house a family of four up each leg, he grips his mic-stand like it might otherwise run off with a guitarist. He takes it for a wander, strolling the stage with effortless cool, often hurling himself around the lanky accomplice before leaning in towards the edge of the monitor, a hand outstretched towards the jubilant crowd.
The upbeat Sha Sha Sha from 2019’s Dogrel gets the crowd going, while Skinty Fia’s title track sees the mosh-zone move into full meltdown, Deegan’s turbulent bass lurking under caustic disco grooves, inspired by Death In Vegas and restrained by Chatten’s vocal. Brimming with melancholy, You Said is compelling, the audience right behind every word and it’s hard not to feel Chatten’s pain and recognise the sentiment in all our lives. I Don’t Belong’s chiming heartbeat immerses us in Chatten’s angst, his agitation prompting him to release a hiss as his fingers splay swiftly towards the crowd.
Tonight’s highlight for many, myself included, is the glorious Televised Mind, from A Hero’s Death, one of those tracks that feels like it’s been by your side since your schooldays. With elements harking back to Joy Division, its propulsive bassline hook gives way to vivid layers of surging reverb, an uneasy tension charging through its veins. It’s subtle yet immense, repetitive yet addictive, the message more relevant than ever. Sublime!
Switching back to Skinty Fia, the badass lyrics of Jackie Down The Line are chanted back towards the band while Roman Holiday submerges us in its mesmerising atmospherics, Chatten’s vulnerability never letting up. The set closes to the wise words of A Hero’s Death, reminding us that life ain’t always empty. Certainly not tonight anyway…
A three song encore starts with the punchy Big followed by Boys In The Better Land, both from Dogrel. Like most of that album, these numbers encompass a more punk-infused edge than found on A Hero’s Death and Skinty Fia, which drift towards a spacious, shoegaze soundscape. Nevertheless they’re still fuelled by the same poetic passion and fire up the audience even more…if that’s at all possible. Last up is Skinty Fia’s brooding but beautiful I Love You, the delicious bassline devouring the room as fragile swathes of darkness wash over the applauding crowd in what is becoming the regular closer at a Fontaines DC shows. Written first as a love song, it inevitably ended up being about, you guessed it, Ireland. As confetti showers the stage I find myself wishing I was transported to an intimate, darkened venue to capture every nuance of the performance right from the start again. Love you too, divine!
Words: Shirley Mack @musingsbymarie
Pictures: Calum Mackintosh @ayecandyphotography