By Lewis Hannah
“In the Modern World, in the modern world, I don’t feel anything, in the modern world.”
What a modern world it is we live in, an age where it seems we are bound by nothing, and yet – as it’s by eloquently put by Fontaines frontman Grian Chatten – simultaneously feel nothing.
I doubt anyone however who stepped out of the First Direct Arena in Leeds at roughly 10:45pm said they left feeling nothing. If anything, the Dublin-based outfit left us all with a strong feeling of otherworldly amazement at the show that had been put on before us.
If there was a silver lining to my time there, I would probably be thankful that I had a seated ticket rather than a standing, because every time I looked down, there must have been at least a mosh pit per song, and there were 20 songs played during the set.
20 mosh pits, minimum, led by followers donning the dayglow green balaclavas seen in the album’s promotion, equals lots of jumping, and lots of headaches. I bet that most of those people probably left with a strong feeling, even if it was a banging migraine.
To call the concert banging would also be quite accurate. The cut back, anthemic tunes thrived off the live setting, like the stellar ‘Boys in the Better Land’ and the fast-paced ‘Big’, two tracks that, compared to their studio counterparts, brilliantly excel in getting the crowd off its feet.
The setlist is dominated by tracks from Fontaine’s latest LP Romance, only ‘Motorcycle Boy’ missed out. Looming over these grand and sprawling tracks is the cover ‘Heart’ that has been synonymous with this current era. Complete with a weeping face, showing the darker complexities of love.
There were no complicated feelings of love within the experience though. With each track, Fontaines D.C. showed that they were varied and ready to push the boundaries of what you might call “rock”. The searing opening riffs to ‘Here’s The Thing’ and setlist closer ‘Favourite’. The catchy, bouncy and confident sing-alongs of ‘Bug’ and encore closer ‘Starburster’
The best of the bunch were the apocalyptic, slow burner tracks. Opener ‘Romance’ was supported by a stunning visual of the bandmates’ silhouettes as they were covered by a large sheet. Tracks like ‘Nabokov’ and the aforementioned ‘In the Modern World’ are assisted by the whirly and mesmerising backing vocals of Bassist Conor “Deego” Deegan III, especially on the latter, as Deego asks us to “Come away with me and Sal, I promise you’ll be in it.” Whoever Sal is, he must be just as cool as Deego.
In the two hours that Fontaines D.C. treated us to their new era, the Irish band demonstrated themselves fantastically in Leeds: The diverse setlist, the prominent visuals, the fluorescent heart during ‘Desire’.
The modern world may leave us feeling nothing. But Fontaines D.C. are not part of the modern world. They’re simply extraterrestrial.
