Fontaines D.C. | Artist
Fontaines D.C. are an Irish post-punk band formed 2017 in Dublin by Grian Chatten (vocals), Carlos O'Connell (guitar), Conor Curley (guitar), Conor Deegan III (bass), and Tom Coll (drums). Their brand of literate post-punk with a touch of Pogue's like shouty Irish brogue, has seen them quickly become one of the world's most popular new indie acts. The band's debut album, Dogrel, was released in April 2019 to widespread critical acclaim; it was listed as Album of the Year on the record store Rough Trade's website, voted Album of the Year by presenters on BBC Radio 6 Music, and was nominated for both the Mercury Prize and the Choice Music Prize. One review described the album as "An absolute triumph in songwriting and storytelling, this album makes you feel like you're placed right into Dublin City during James Joyce's Dubliners, which they took inspiration from." Their second studio album, A Hero's Death, was released in July 2020 and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards. Their third album Skinty Fia released in 2022, became the band's first to reach number one on the Irish Albums Chart and UK Albums Chart, and contributed towards them winning the Brit Award for International Group. The band's fourth album, Romance, was release in August 2024, and is arguably their best yet - highly recommended. Starting out, the band members met while attending music college and bonded over a common love of poetry. They began self-releasing singles and performing live regularly, signing to Partisan Records in 2018. In addition to their excellent studio albums, the live album Live at Kilmainham Gaol (2021) is also recommended. Singer Grian Chatten also released the excellent Chaos for the Fly solo album in 2023. The band's love of poetry has seen them collectively publish two collections of poetry, one called Vroom, inspired by the Beat poets Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, and another called Winding, inspired by Irish poets Patrick Kavanagh, James Joyce, and W. B. Yeats. None of the published poems were translated into songs, but the track "Television Screens" on their debut Dogrel started out as a poem and was turned into a song. The band got their name from a character in the movie The Godfather called Johnny Fontane, a singer and movie star portrayed by Al Martino, and they added "D.C." to denote Dublin City.
Artist Website: fontainesdc.com
Featured Albums: Fontaines D.C.
Related Artists: Grian Chatten
Collections: Movers Shakers
