Bristol O2 Academy – 13th October 2021
The O2 Academy, 8PM, Sweat. This is the first thing that came to mind when I walked in, alongside the surprise that it wasn’t packed with freshers drinking YoYos..
It didn’t take long for the venue to be packed out with fans, and much like IDLES, it’s clear that Fontaines DC has produced music that spans across generations with old punks and young faces alike sporting Fontaines T-Shirts.
The opener of the evening was a band that I hadn’t heard of before, The Altered Hours- also from Ireland and channel similar auras to the headliners. Taking a softer approach to the set at start I’d best describe The Altered Hours vocal presence is very similar to Katy J Pearson in delivery and sound, with the instrumentation swaying from later generation Strokes to, at times, approaching bands like Slowdive with vibrato swells and deep instrumentation pockmarked with angular guitar riffs, this was very evident on my favorite track of the set “Hey No Way”.
By this time the venue was restless to see the headliner, shoulder to shoulder young and old, and as if to add a little drama to the proceedings the venue was bathed in soft light. Fontaines DC entered the stage and greeted the audience by throwing bouquets of flowers, as if channeling an inner (or outer) Morrisey, almost like they know how many compairsions people draw between the two.
Interestingly a lot of journalists match The Pogues and Fontaines DC, other than being Irish I don’t understand why, it certainly isn’t because of a similar live presence. I’ve heard a first hand account of a drunken Shane MacGowan (pint of vodka in hand) collapsing 20 minutes in forcing The Stranglers to come on two hours early. Fontaines DC on the other hand were spectacular, and even though they are part way through a lengthy tour they still filled the venue with palpable energy.
While the rest of the band was shrouded in a moody inky blackness showing both passion and intensity from the wings Grian Chatten seems to be very much enjoying his role as frontman. He engaged with the crowd and whilst pacing up and down like a caged animal in contrast with early shows where you can really sense his shyness and the feeling that he hadn’t really found his feet, and whilst not as full on as Sebastian Murphy or Pelle Almqvist his passionate screams make you realise he believes every word he says. The crowd’s reaction to hits like Sha Sha Sha and The Lotts just demonstrate how both them and IDLES really are the flag bearers of a new breed of Post Punk that’s equipart chantable club hit and deep ballad.
Overall it could be said that Fontaines DC, The Alter Hours along with bands like The Murder Capital are just the start of a new wave of Irish bands to hit our shores, following in the footsteps of The Pogues and The Cranberries. I’m very excited to see what’s next..
Review by www.instagram.com/cam.mulberry
Images by www.instagram.com/lgerrard.photography
