The band’s swaggering potential has never been more apparent.
Words: Ali Shutler.
Photos: Patrick Gunning.
Fontaines D.C. have clearly been destined for big things since the snarling ‘
Dogrel’ gave fresh momentum to an entire scene. ‘
A Hero’s Death’ and ‘
Skinty Fia’ underlined their growing reputation as a potential band of a generation but new album ‘
Romance’ has turbo-charged their ascent.
Their music has always been a scrappy mix of tenderness, hope and frustration, but ‘Romance’. is more sure of itself in every way, with the band smashing together alt-rock, Y2K pop and ferocious punk to create a record that demands a reaction. Today on Reading’s main stage, they certainly get one.
Opening with the snarling, atmospheric title track, Fontaines D.C. lean heavily on their brave new world. The scuzzy daydream of ‘
Here’s The Thing’ and the sheer fury of ‘
Death Kink’ sees the band flexing their more abrasive muscles before slowing things down for the dreamy ‘The Modern World’. The urgent heartburst of ‘
Favourite’ is pretty, but no less crunching while an absolutely monstrous ‘Starburst’ closes out the set in suitably chaotic fashion.
It feels like Fontaines D.C. know they’ve created a masterpiece with ‘Romance’. The album has only been out for a matter of hours at this point in time, but it makes up a bulk of today’s set and even older tracks like ‘
I Love You’, ‘
Boys In The Better Land’ and ‘
Jackie Down The Line’ feel more energised alongside this fearless new material. The entire 45-minute set is absolutely brilliant, but it’s also full of promise. With a massive show at Finsbury Park already on the cards for next summer ahead of a very sold out UK tour, ‘Romance’ is just going to keep getting bigger. It almost feels too obvious to say Fontaines D.C. should be headlining Reading & Leeds in the very near future, with the band’s swaggering potential never more apparent. If Romance is a place, it’s on the biggest of stages.
