May 10th – By the time Fontaines D.C. took the stage, the sold-out Anthem was absolutely packed with 6,000 loyal fans. I’ve had the pleasure to cover them four times now, and each time they seem to evolve their performance—and this time was no exception.
I first covered them when they released their third album Skinty Fia and played the tiny 650-capacity Underground Arts in Philadelphia back in April 2022. Their performance was total bedlam. I was instantly hooked.
Review and photos by Steve Cerf ( @stevecerf )
Fontaines D.C. have been enjoying an incredible rise in popularity over the past two years—and it’s been amazing to watch.
Guitarist Conor Curley led off the performance with his back against the audience. He opened with the title track, “Romance.” That opening track gave their performance a powerful sense of restraint and anticipation, drop-feeding us the energy we knew was going to follow. The following song, “Jackie Down the Line” from Skinty Fia, brought that energy. The crowd erupted. It was raw and primal.
The increasingly sweaty crowd was treated to “Death Kink,” “Sundowner,” “It’s Amazing to Be Young,” “Here’s the Thing,” “Bug,” “Horseness Is the Whatness,” and “Favourite” from the acclaimed new album Romance, along with tracks spanning their career.
Frontman Grian Chatten flung his hands in the air, jumping on the amps, cheering and churning the crowd into a frenzy. The band mixed their set list well. The whole set was full of chaotic energy. Fontaines D.C. are a genuine, hardcore, and entertaining band, and they really left everything on stage.
The room was a seething mess of flaring arms and sheer joy, with a mixture of wild youth and punk vets who never gave up the joy of embracing new twisted music. Their performance was filled front to back with fast-paced, hard-hitting tracks from all the albums that I came to fall in love with.
Seeing Fontaines D.C. live is an emotional experience. It’s the attention and intention the band brings to their music which so clearly speaks to the people going to see such a mind-blowing band.
Fontaines D.C. held nothing back, supercharging the volume of Romance to striking effect. The band was on full throttle with hypnotic intensity and power and a deeply intelligent core that is all at once captivating and intoxicating.
The old-school punk anarchy of the concert boiled over towards the end, with the band and fans joining forces in a jubilant raucous noise. They finished with “Desire,” “I Love You,” and the lead single from Romance, “Starburster.”
The thunderous sound could be heard all the way down the streets of The Anthem. There may be a long way to go and a long road to travel—but at least with Fontaines D.C. and their release of Romance, they can be confident they’re on the right path.
I had an incredible time at the concert, and I’m excited to see where the band will go next. This band will, without a doubt, dominate the music world.
