Fontaines D.C.

Fontaines D.C.
Origin	Dublin
Genres	post-punk, rock 'n roll, indie rock
Labels	Partisan Records
Website	http://fontainesband.com/
Members	Grian Chatten (Vocals) Conor Deegan III (Bass) Carlos O'Connell (Guitar) Conor Curley (Guitar) Tom Coll (Drums)

Fontaines D.C. (previously Fontaines) is a Dublin based post-punk band comprised of Grian Chatten (Vocals), Conor Deegan III (Bass), Carlos O'Connell (Guitar), Conor Curley (Guitar), and Tom Coll (Drums). The band have released eight singles and, in 2018, signed with Partisan Records.

Formation

The band members met in college in Dublin, after having played individually in other bands, where they quickly formed a connection. "We loved the same poets and artists. Immediately our group and our band was everything to us.” Though the members all come from various cities, they have planted themselves as a Dublin band. “We’ve become inextricably attached to Dublin for all its foibles and brilliance. I can’t write about life on Mars when I’m so invested in life here. It’s all reflection.”

Career

Fontaines D.C. released their debut single, "Liberty Belle" with Daniel Doherty in Darklands Studio and through their own independent Trigger Party Records in June of 2017. They continued the relationship with "Hurricane Laughter" and "Winter In The Sun". On May 24, 2018, the band signed with Partisan Records, who have also signed with bands such as Idles, Cigarettes After Sex, and Eagulls.

Both "Hurricane Laughter/Winter In The Sun" and "Boys In The Better Land/Chequeless Reckless" were named Singles of the Week by Rough Trade.

Influences

Artists

The band have mentioned W.B. Yeats, Patrick Kavanagh, and Shane MacGowan as poetic inspirations. MacGowan's band, The Pogues, was also cited to be a large influence, as well as The Rolling Stones and The Dubliners, Chattan saying "The Pogues, to us, had the perfect spirit. The Stones had the best sounds. Our words are inspired by a combination of pub talk and poetry."

Dublin

While also being the city where the band was formed, the band finds much more to the city, Chattan saying "it's just like loving someone, they can be full of faults, but you come to realize that without those things you wouldn’t be loving the same person... Dublin is just the most imperfectly perfect place and it is living and breathing because of that.”

Stories and characters from the city are also present in the band's mind, with the release covers of "Liberty Belle" and "Hurricane Laughter" featuring Dublin legends, Thomas "Bang Bang" Dudley and P.J. "Johnny Fortycoats" Marlow. "Bang Bang", being a Dublin eccentric who carried a church key which he pretended was a gun. Deegan III explains that "with ‘Liberty Belle’ being a characterization and a love song for the Liberties and Dublin inner city life, we wanted to get a character for the cover that would exemplify that and really represent it... Bang Bang was great because he was eccentric and immediate." "Fortycoats" was a homeless man who wore several coats and gave out newspaper comic strips and jokes to children. Chattan describes "Hurricane Laughter" as being "made up of disjointed, raged bits of information that all form something cohesive to the listener, like when Fortycoats passed out different bits of a newspaper, they were all just sort of singular ideas but they formed something else in the audience’s mind."

Style

The band's sound has been described as having "looping" and "relentless" riffs. Grian Chatton's vocals being described as having an "engulfing and authentic Dublin accent".

NME stated that "On their new single ‘Chequeless Reckless’, the band have decided to delve even deeper into their influences (which they personally cite as spanning from The La’s, to The Pogues, to Buddy Holly) employing hypnotic, kraut-rock infused cyclical riffs, whilst channeling Dublin into their concise and often-unassumingly poetic lyrics with a distinctive gritty Irish drawl."

On "Boys In The Better Land" Hot Press stated that the track "exemplifies retro old school rock'n'roll, accompanied with the most authentic Dublin accent, setting the song apart from other rock songs. It's absolutely impossible not to know the origin of this band, they are unmistakably Irish, specifically Dublin and this new tune doesn't let our city down."

Aupium describe the band's sound as "dark and melancholic post-punk music that feels visceral and raw to its core. If you are a fan of 70s post-punk and love the gut-wrenching beats of Joy Division, then Fontaines D.C. is a must-have on your playlist. This quintet bring the classic elements of post-punk, but hybridizes with contemporary new wave and dark pop mojo... Like modern Joy Division."

XS Noize say "‘Liberty Belle’ and ‘Hurricane Laughter’ call to mind the likes of the Modern Lovers, The Fall, Iggy Pop and The Strokes, seamlessly blending immediate lyrical hooks with melodic golden-era indie instrumentation, and ‘70s Stooges punk thrust, all of which is strewn with defiant rock and roll overtones."

Richard Brabin declares that "Fontaines D.C. are a ‘once in a generation’ band and represent the past, present and future of the British and Irish guitar music. Their impact in an often tired and listless scene is not to be underestimated and it would be a travesty of epic proportions if Fontaines don’t go on to become one of our most cherished acts."

Live

While the band releases records, their passion is in live performances, Chatton saying, “We’re all about the gigs. Whatever happens onstage is us, even mistakes. The studio gives you the chance to augment yourself, but we try and stay honest."

In 2019, the band was a huge success at SXSW, garnering attention from NPR, Rolling Stone, and Paste Magazine, proving that their loud and honest approach pays off.

Discography

Singles

• "Liberty Belle" - June 23, 2017
• "Rocket To Russia" - June 23, 2017
• "Hurricane Laughter" - October 6, 2017
• "Winter in The Sun" - October 6, 2017
• "Boys In The Better Land" - Feb 23, 2018
• "Chequeless Reckless" - Feb 23, 2018
• "Too Real" - Nov 12, 2018
• "The Cuckoo Is A-Callin'" - Nov 12, 2018
  

References

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