Live Review: Fontaines D.C.

Having just disembarked off their tour with Rough Trade’s #1 album artist, Shame, the fearless Dublin born 5-piece Fontaines D.C have certainly held their own so far on their headline tour selling out 4 of their dates including Manchester’s Night People and The Lexington, London.

Fontaines D.C. have spent the last few years on the grind, ensuring they’ve become a name amongst their industry counterparts such as Idles, Sorry and Shame. This contemporary fervent resurgence in punk-rock influence has proven to give Fontaines D.C. a heavy footing in the upcoming wave of restless musicians.

With the London-based, slightly more punk-inspired, Hotel Lux as support, Fontaines D.C. perfectly established the soundscape of the evening. Lux are a strutting quintet composed of lousy, carnivalesque-sounding guitar riffs and haunting spoken-word vocals. Exuding an admirable confidence for their still very small fanbase, this 5-piece are utterly fascinating. Possessing the ability to make you feel like you’re part of something far bigger, Lux are certainly a band to keep a close eye on.

Kicking off their sold-out Mancunian basement, Fontaines D.C. immediately instilled a strong sense of self-assurance, creating an atmosphere that enveloped their mostly middle-aged audience into a charging electrical buzz. Frontman Grian Chatten’s thick Irish accent travelled down the back of the venue’s dark and dingy walls, penetrating the spines of each member of the audience that had attended in the hopes of joining the band’s foreboding concoction of heavy riffs and raw lyricism.

Chatten’s demeanour radiated a sweeping sensation of comfort on stage but was uniquely trimmed with an unsettling habit of walking back and forth in a quick-tempered fashion. This jittery movement only echoed the band’s collective energy to dominate every aspect of the intimate stage. ‘Chequeless Reckless’, an anti-capitalist, spoken-word protest sparked a vigour in fans as they rallied in the centre of the room.

‘Boys in the Better Land’ alongside the band’s new single ‘Too Real’ and my personal favourite, ‘Hurricane Laughter’ certainly stood out to be the band’s most memorable moments. Each of these tracks were effortlessly pioneered by O’Connell and Curley’s melodic and stirring heavy riffs which were supported by Coll’s pounding drum beats.

‘Hurricane Laughter’ is an anthemic, hypnotic and unrestrained portrayal of just what Fontaines D.C. are capable of. Having not yet released a debut album, this track released earlier in 2018 acts as a pioneering momentum for the band’s future artistic endeavours. Sending fans into fits of frenzied flinching- Fontaines D.C.’s performance at Manchester’s Night People was intoxicating and stimulated a further confidence in the future of heavier band’s that are finally starting to be recognised in the current industry.

As I left the stripped-back venue, Chatten’s accented repetition of “There is no connection available” continued to resound around my head.

8/10