Fontaines D.C. @ Fort de Saint Père in Saint-Malo

About the artist

Fontaines D.C. is an Irish band from Dublin, formed in 2014 by Grian Chatten (vocals), Conor Curley (guitar), Carlos O’Connell (guitar), Conor Deegan III (bass) and Tom Coll (drums). Known for their raw, poetic take on post‑punk, they quickly made an impact with their debut album Dogrel (2019), a vivid portrait of city life that earned Mercury Prize and Choice Music Prize nominations. Follow‑up albums A Hero’s Death (2020) and Skinty Fia (2022) saw the band expand into darker, more reflective sounds, with Skinty Fia topping the UK and Irish charts and winning them the Brit Award for Best International Group. In 2024, they released Romance, their fourth album and their first on XL Recordings, produced by James Ford. The record pushes their sound into new territory, blending jagged guitars with lush textures, cinematic melodies, and flashes of Y2K‑tinged alt‑rock. Singles like “Starburster” and “Favourite” showcase a band both restless and ambitious, with “Starburster” earning their first UK charting single and a 2025 Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Performance. Fontaines D.C.’s music feels both urgent and dreamlike, fusing the grit of post‑punk with moments of sweeping emotional release. It’s music that captures the pulse of the city and the weight of modern life, full of tension, beauty, and catharsis.