Fontaines D.C.

The story of Fontaines D.C. begins in the mid-2010s in Dublin, where singer Grian Chatten, guitarists Carlos O’Donnell and Conor Curly, bassist Conor Deegan and drummer Tom Coll met whilst studying music. For a punk band, they had a rather unusual start: all five shared a passion for poetry and initially published two collections of poems. This love of language was evident from the outset and continues to shape their songwriting to this day. On their first two critically acclaimed albums, *Dogrel* (2019) and *A Hero’s Death* (2020), they explored their own Irish identity within a dark, introspective post-punk world. Ireland continued to play a defining role on “Skinty Fia”, released in 2022, but the sound was gradually transformed by the incorporation of electronic elements, thereby reaching an ever-growing audience. 

 

With *Romance* (2024), they consistently took this development a step further: the band opened up their signature sound to alternative rock, synth textures and 90s aesthetics, thereby quite rightly establishing themselves as global rock stars. Fontaines D.C. found a wide following beyond the post-punk scene, particularly with the single “Starburster”. High chart positions, two Grammy nominations (including in the ‘Best Rock Album’ category) and platinum status in the UK marked their definitive international breakthrough.  The eagerly awaited new album “Dopamine Chamber” is due for release on 16 October via XL Recordings. Like its predecessor, it was produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode), though Fontaines D.C. deliberately sought to break away from their previous sound. The quintet now skilfully navigates the space between art-pop and post-punk: the guitars that previously defined their style have taken a back seat, whilst cold synths and electronic elements set the tone. The first single, ‘Marianne’, already sets the tone in terms of its lyrics. The album revolves primarily around the question of where we can flee to in an increasingly fragmented and unbalanced world. Whilst on ‘Romance’ Grian Chatten was still searching for human warmth amidst alienation, he now deliberately gazes into the abyss and, with the ‘Dopamine Chamber’, creates a place where reality is distorted. 

 

Fontaines D.C. have always consistently refused to repeat themselves – their concerts are sweat-inducing, high-energy experiences, the intensity of which remains undiminished even as they play ever-larger venues. Whilst they tested their new material this summer at their first, intimate concerts in Europe as well as during headline slots at the Reading & Leeds Festival, they are not only returning to Germany this winter for an exclusive Berlin show, but are following that up straight away in August 2027 with three further concerts in Hamburg, Munich and Berlin. 

Support: Chalk