Fontaines Dc

The "Roman Holiday" of Fontaines Dc begins and ends on June 25th, taking place in the stunning setting of the Auditorium Parco della Musica, on a cool early-summer evening that delivers a show destined, in all likelihood, to stick in the memory of everyone there.

2024 could well turn out to be the Irish band's annus mirabilis: with the legacy of "Dogrel" and "A Hero's Death" firmly established, and the wider success of "Skinty Fia", the five Dubliners now present themselves no longer as the next big thing, but fully and rightfully as one of the defining bands of today's rock/alternative scene. Add to that the fact that the lead singles from their imminent fourth album, "Romance", have already amply confirmed the current state of grace enjoyed by Grian Chatten and co., and the 2024 tour becomes the perfect moment to venture live into the magical world of Fontaines Dc.

The anticipation and sky-high expectations are palpable; proof of that comes at first glance from a sold-out Cavea, packed from the floor to the terraces with a remarkably age-diverse crowd.

Shortly after 9pm, with no support act to warm things up, the stage begins to vibrate with the mystical opening of "Romance", a short instrumental track and first preview of the new, self-titled album due out in August. The power of the green neon flashes intertwined with booming synths immediately overwhelms and stuns the crowd, with Chatten whipping up the audience from the very start, as if kicking off a collective ritual - which, indeed, it will turn out to be.

There's barely time for the volume of the opening track to fade before the double drum roll that introduces the hit "Jackie Down The Line" rings out, sending everyone into raptures, swiftly followed by the hypnotic progressions of "Televised Mind", to the delight of longtime fans.

The performance closely follows the original structure of the songs, without any major reworkings, and is precise to the point of near-perfection, aided by the excellent acoustics of the Cavea's architectural setting.

The frontman flails his arms and bounces from one side of the stage to the other, managing - despite his low vocal register - to cut through the wall of sound woven by his bandmates, who, while less frenetic in their movements than Grian, drive a sonic flow that is at once molten and ethereal, blasting out of the rows of Fender and Ampeg amplifiers on full display, with Carlos O'Connell at times acting as a quiet conductor, switching between guitars, synthesizers and electric pianos.

The set carries on with the acclaimed "Roman Holiday" and continues at high intensity amid general enthusiasm, alternating peaks of pathos with full-throttle bursts, in a setlist that stands as an excellent showcase of Fontaines Dc past, present and future, blending the raw lightning bolts of "Dogrel" ("Chequeless Reckless", "Big", the blast of "Too Real"), the darker, more suffocating atmospheres of "A Hero's Death" (the title track, "I Don't Belong", "A Lucid Dream") and the compositional refinement of "Skinty Fia" ("Big Shot", "How Cold Love Is" and the tight electronic rhythm of the title track).

Apocalypse spreads through the shoegaze vortex of "Nabokov", sending shivers down the spines of the thousands in attendance; things ease into the more carefree stride of "Sha Sha Sha"; then comes the eagerly awaited live taste of the new album, with the moving "Favourite", painting atmospheres somewhere between Cure and Smiths.

The already-classic "Boys In The Better Land" closes out the main set, quite literally setting off a full-blown party riot down on the floor.

There's a breather, but of course it's not over. The encore is a given, and the Irish quintet quickly make their way back onstage. There's room for the irresistible groove of the other new single, "Starbuster", which sends the entire crowd jumping up and down, and for the final farewell (this time for real) on the notes of the last great classic still missing from the set, the monumental "I Love You", Chatten's anguished, passionate dedication to his homeland, in which the Fontaines Dc frontman's interpretative and poetic performance reaches its zenith, even live, right before the eyes of the Roman crowd.

About an hour and a half after it began (some would have liked it to run a bit longer), the band's logo lights up in the colours of Ireland, and it's time to head home for a crowd that's both thrilled and well aware of having witnessed something significant: not simply a great concert by a great band, but the passing-through of a true icon of today's music scene.

The Rome date proves to be a triumph, celebrating a band that brings back the finest fascinations of our past, projects us into a future worth believing in, yet remains firmly planted here, leaving a conspicuous mark on the present. Being in Rome (as, presumably, at any other date on the recent tour) was a chance to feel part of something in motion, something that is somehow leaving a generational mark (we try to explain why in this in-depth feature).

Beyond everything else, and put much more simply, a moment to witness a magnificent concert.

(Photo: Pasqualini/MUSA)

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