Fontaines D.C.
The Fillmore Detroit
Wednesday, May 7
This was one of the most anticipated shows of the year for me, and it did not disappoint.
Fontaines D.C. have grown into one of the biggest post-punk bands in the world, hailing from Ireland and spreading their gospel from small clubs to larger clubs to now theaters like the Fillmore Detroit, which holds close to 3,000 people.
And I’m not sure I’ve seen it so packed in a long time. If I have, the diversity of the crowd didn’t stand out to me like it did at the Fontaines D.C. show, which had me sitting next to senior citizens who were sitting next to kids who haven't hit puberty yet to gangs of Gen Z concertgoers in the pit not understanding the concept of crowd surfing. (A friend of a friend was dropped directly on her head, but don’t worry – she’s OK.)
That speaks to the angst of the music, attracting a young crowd … but it also speaks to the quality of the songwriting, that folks of all ages wanted to pack this Detroit show to near sell-out capacity.
“I want a shot in the dark, I wanna make the mark
I want to live the arc, I call the ends on it”
Those are lyrics from “Starburster” which is, by far, one of my favorite songs on the group's latest record, “Romance.” Performed live, it was a true force of nature. A small but mighty part of that was adding an extra member to the live show for more force, more sound, more texture throughout the songs – which is something I deeply appreciate it.
I want the album to come to life, to announce itself from the stage with authority instead of limply reintroducing itself as a lame, reproduced directly from the studio recordings and into your eardrums.
A lot of this was done with the help of an acoustic guitar, believe it or not. The texture of the strumming on most of their songs added this sense of polyrhythm, a whole other texture to the songs that honestly made me think of The Cure throughout their set (indeed, their most recent album “Romance” is by far the most mature and moodiest effort).
And throughout it all, lead singer Grian Chatten is clearly a star. His sing-song vocal delivery was strong; his stage presence is becoming its own member of the band. You could feel the audience eating out of his hand the entire time. And, in the best way, the rest of the band accepts their fate by being present but not overstepping Chatten’s spotlight. They’re clearly a band that gets along and accepts their roles.
Other stand-out tracks included “Favourite,” “A Hero’s Death” and the straight-forward punk banger “Boys In The Better Land,” a well-rounded playlist that helped show off their early stuff for the diehard fans, the new stuff for the bandwagon fans and a small tease of where the band is heading – bigger sound, more maturity in the songwriting, more texture and electronic elements melting in with the guitars.
For any nearly sold-out show at a venue the size of the Fillmore Detroit, I’ve got to give credit to the staff (from security to the door to the bartenders and behind the scenes) for running a tight show and being polite throughout the whole thing. We wouldn’t be able to enjoy any of this without them.
And cheers to Fontaines D.C. for bringing the Irish thunder on a Wednesday night in Detroit, reaffirming to a hardcore audience that they deserve to be one of the biggest post-punk bands in the world.
