Fontaines D.C.’s second album A Hero’s Death was released on 31 July 2020. Album launch instores were arranged through independent record stores in Leeds (Crash Records), Kingston-Upon-Thames (Banquet Records), Brighton (Resident Records) and Edinburgh (Assai Records). These were due to take place in the autumn of 2020 when we thought such things would be possible. They were of course postponed, but thankfully not cancelled.
With all sections of the music industry hit by the impact of the pandemic, it was a joy to see the English dates finally scheduled to take place in the first week of August, a year since the albums original release.
Fontaines D.C. had played just one full capacity gig at the Roadmender in Northampton at the end of July since their sold out date at Brixton Academy all the way back in February 2020. Now it was 5 sets in 3 days – were they ready?
First stop for the album launch shows was the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, an iconic venue if ever there was one. However unlike Northampton there was no barrier, no photographers and very little security presence at the stage. The excitement was palpable in the buzz around the venue on this Sunday afternoon. This was my first visit to the Brudenell and getting to the front I was delighted by the intimacy of this wonderful independent venue. Let’s remember Fontaines D.C. are now both Brits and Grammy nominated, so it was a pure delight to see they have remained committed to these gigs.
The band have always had a walk on song and for these dates it was Tom Waits ‘Dirt in the Ground’ pretty mellow – but not for long. This is not a full gig, but the crowd was treated to tracks from both albums, debut Dogrel as well as A Hero’s Death.
Openers ‘A Lucid Dream’ and ‘Televised Mind’ immediately grabbed the crowd. ‘Big’ set the place alight followed by slower ‘I Don’t Belong’ and ‘Oh Such A Spring’. The moshing really got going with the blistering trio from Dogrel of ‘Sha Sha Sha’, ‘Boys in the Better Land’ and ‘Too Real’, simply electrifying in this small venue. Last track was of course ‘A Hero’s Death’. Lead singer Grian Chatten had more interaction with the audience than in the past, he shook a few hands and said “Thanks a lot for coming out, it means a lot”. You know it was heartfelt.
As I left the sound engineer said it was so good to be back. I couldn’t agree more. It occurred to me that Fontaines D.C. are currently playing a small but vital role in helping these venues re-open with full houses. Venue owner, bar staff, security, technicians were all beaming. What a torrid time they have been through and Fontaines D.C. are just the band to help kick-start their live music programmes.
The band did a second set at the Brudenell with a slight tweak in the songs played including swopping in ‘Hurricane Laughter‘ . The raucous song choices surely say it all about what this band want to do after such a long break, and that is rip the roof off these venues.
Next day it was another two sets at the larger Pryzm in Kingston-Upon-Thames. A much younger crowd and the energy in the room was off the chart. Chanting of ‘Fontaines D. C.’ and ‘Grian’ started before they even came onstage. It was emotional to see the response to the slower songs from A Hero’s Death. ‘Oh Such A Spring’ ‘I Don’t Belong’ and ‘You Said’ were passionately sung, resonating with the words, which is a sign of the times. Even though A Hero’s Death was written before the pandemic, it seems to have struck a chord with this generation. Starved of live music for so long, it seems to mean so much.
The second set at Pryzm was a sight to behold. I had forgotten just how emotional the gig going experience is. The moshpit was in full flow, the band a tour de force hitting their stride and lapping up all the energy from the crowd. Every single person in that room was memorised by this band. Grian was positively encouraging a reaction, teasing the crowd with his prowling of the stage and his arms in the air asking for more of them.
And so onto the final leg the following day at Chalk in Brighton. Just one gig and Fontaines D.C. gave us an expanded set. Extraordinary. Let’s remember these gigs cost around £14 with a CD and a ticket. This set lasted an hour, only 15mins shorter than the full gig at Roadmender just a couple of weeks earlier. Chalk is another intimate venue and it was its first gig back. The running order was again going to set the place alight. The intensity simply built on the previous gigs, so much so that Grian broke his tambourine halfway through the set.
Televised Mind
Television Screens
A Lucid Dream
Oh Such A Spring
You Said
I Don’t Belong
Hurricane Laughter
Chequeless Wreckless
Too Real
Sha Sha Sha
A Hero’s Death
Boys In The Better Land
I Was Not Born
Fontaines D.C. are infamous for not doing encores. However we live in a changed world. The crowd was not moving and the lights did not go up. Could they? This was the last night of this short run after all. When the technicians started plugging the guitars back in and sorting out the mike stands, the crowd sensed something special. And so here it was, a first encore by the band ‘Liberty Belle’ and it was sensational.
Fontaines D.C. have relished this return to live music and you sense they loved getting back on stage and re-connecting with their audience. The enforced break appears to have recalibrated the band. Drummer Tom Coll was grinning from ear to ear, and along with guitarists Conor Curley and Carlos O’Connell and bassist Conor Deegan III together they are a tight unit completely in sync with each other. It was an absolute privilege to see this band get the fire back into their bellies in such intimate venues. They are rejuvenated and re-energised, have seemed to have loved playing at much as we have loved seeing them.
Next up is a full gig in Belfast on 13th August.
And lucky Scotland still has an album launch date to look forward to in September at SWG3 in Glasgow.
The anticipation is therefore building for the UK tour in October.
The question on all fans lips is “When we will hear new songs from album No. 3?”
