Nieve O’Donnell
The Guardian has stated that Fontaines D.C. are ‘’up there with The Smiths and The Pogues’’. Grian and the rest of the band’s entrance played up to this, bringing a bit of Ireland with them to Nottingham’s Rock City, as they came on to a track by The Zombies whilst throwing flowers into an excited crowd. Nieve O’Donnell reviews their take on the Rock City stage.
As if transported to Dublin, A Hero’s Death, the titular name of the band’s second album, kicked off the evening, launching the crowd, with Fontaine’s usual poetical lyricism such as ‘’life ain’t always empty / don’t get stuck in the past / say your favourite things at mass.’’ Followed by A Lucid Dream, the band then got stuck into some tracks from their first album ‘Dogrel’ such as Sha Sha Sha, Chequeless and I Was Not Born. I’m always astounded by Fontaines’ poetic lyricism – it was nice to see it executed live for the first time too.
The Lotts and Living In America were still celebrated by the audience despite being older tracks
I Don’t Belong felt like an honest ode from frontman Grian, as the James Joyce influences that the band speak of in interviews came to the fore. The Lotts and Living In America were still celebrated by the audience despite being older tracks, displaying their love for Fontaines’ past two records and not simply the most recent. Hurricane Laughter was in fact a storm, followed by Too Real and Big.
Televised Mind lit up the stage in blue and red lighting whilst Boys In The Better Land led to a raucous performance from the Rock City crowd. As the encore ensued, roars for the band’s return got louder. No gimmicks were necessary for Fontaines D.C. to hand out a good time although the giant eye balloons confetti’d across the audience was a highlight.
Following the encore, Roy’s Tune and Liberty Belle completed the evening. As a few middle-aged men launched themselves into the moshpit of students and teenagers, the prospect of ‘’ready, steady violence’’ must have seemed all too appealing.
Nieve O’Donnell
Featured image and in-article images courtesy of Nieve O’Donnell. Permission to use granted to Impact. No changes were made to these images
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