Fontaines D.C. have had a “very tough year”.
The band – comprised of Grian Chatten, Conor Curley, Conor Deegan, Tom Coll and Carlos O’Connell – were devastated by the death of their manager Trevor Dietz in June and paid tribute to him at their recent gig at London’s Roundhouse.
Grian told the crowd: “It’s been a very tough year for us. I’d like to sing you this song,” before launching into Favourite, from the band’s 2023 album Romance.
Meanwhile, the band recently released their “mood-altering” new album Dopamine Chamber.
It includes the lead single Marianne, which takes some inspiration from the 2024 psychological thriller Ripley starring fellow Irishman Andrew Scott as the titular con artist Tom Ripley.
Chatten said in a statement about the record: “The album itself is a dopamine chamber.
“You step inside and we test these different mind or mood-altering pieces of music on you.”
Bassist Conor Deegan added: “Our albums have always questioned a sense of place.
“First Dublin, then being away from Dublin, and then trying to find the romance elsewhere. On this record, the question became: where do you escape to?”
The album was recorded in London, the English countryside, and Palermo in Sicily, where Chatten created a makeshift vocal booth with mattresses and cushions.
Comparing Dopamine Chamber to Romance, Chatten said: “I think Romance was maybe 60 per cent human and 40 per cent corrupted by automation, and a loss of feeling.
“This one feels more like 60 per cent corrupted – the mask is wearing the face a little more … I felt it would be more powerful to leave the hope out and reflect the ugliness honestly. This one needed to feel more like a catastrophic warning.”
Meanwhile, the band also recently added a second Slane Castle show to their 2027 live dates due to demand.
Fontaines D.C. will be joined by Hayley Williams, Damien Dempsey, Madra Salach and more when they play the original date on June 26, and the second concert on June 27.
The legendary 80,000-capacity venue in County Meath has hosted iconic names over the years, from The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and Bob Dylan, to Oasis, Metallica and Harry Styles.
