Fontaines D.C. @ OVO Hydro, Glasgow, 4 Dec
Playing to a sold out Hydro at the end of another huge year, Fontaines D.C. prove they were made for the big time
Sorry's brand of off-kilter rock used to thrive in claustrophobic trappings and unexpected left turns, but the band branched out on their second album, Anywhere But Here. They are now more than capable of filling the huge spaces afforded them on this arena tour; their quirky stage presence is more or less subsumed between songs, but new hits like Waxwing reach the rafters and more than satisfy the masses.
The rise of Fontaines D.C. over the past few years has been nothing short of meteoric. Dogrel created an instant buzz just five years ago, but A Hero's Death was the moment that propelled them on their current trajectory, and now they're selling out arenas across the country and their place in the canon of the biggest Irish musicians was already assured before this year's excellent Romance. The band obviously know this and play up the hype to breaking point by performing behind a sheet during the opener, Romance. But when it drops and we launch into a majestic Jackie Down the Line it's clear that this is where the band belong – didn't singer Grian Chatten tell us as much in Dogrel opener/mission statement, Big?
Chatten is practically chewing the scenery as he paces circles around the stage in his oversized shades and baggy outfit, every bit the preening Ian Brown/Liam Gallagher updated for modern times. But despite the frenetic energy and constant motion the vocals are always on point and never have to fight against the sizeable racket made by the rest of the band.
The only two songs from A Hero's Death, A Lucid Dream and Televised Mind, come early on and the packed crowd respond with an odd combination of dancing, moshing and just belting out choruses. Hurricane Laughter gets a tour debut to big cheers from the diehards but surprising indifference from many. There's other first album hits that might have landed better; Liberty Belle? Sha Sha Sha? Too Real? It's a shame that these fan favourites are off the current set list in favour of almost the entirety of Romance (bar Motorcycle Boy), but you can't begrudge a band for leaning into the songs that've raised them to their current peak. And judging by the amount of phones that go up during the main set-closing Favourite it's clear which Fontaines era resonates with the majority.
During the encore I Love You emphasises the debt which the band owe to Stone Roses with its opening guitar line (see also Roman Holiday for Chatten's most Brown-esque vocal take) and then Starburster proceeds to close the evening on an effervescent high, mid-chorus gasps and all, proving that this once-unassuming band from Dublin are now undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.