The Finsbury pub sits on the corner of Manor House and Finsbury Park. In between its garden and the bar is a room where countless bands and artists have played. A room very often filled with not many people, or those passing through just trying to find the toilet. It was the place, back in 2017, where Fontaines D.C. played their first London show. According to them, about twenty people were in attendance. Eight years later and the band are only across the road. This time there’s 45,000 people here to see them.
Early on we’re treated to some exceptional sets, all showing the various sides of this guitar driven renaissance. Whether that’s Blondshell’s attitude-filled feminist rock, Cardinal’s melding of classic indie sounds with Irish trad music, or Been Stellar’s visceral post-punk. The future looks bright – and sounds loud.
This is a big day then, not just for Fontaines D.C. , but the world of guitar music. Liam and Noel might’ve been down in Cardiff, but the real zeitgeist moment was here. Or as one fan put it, “this is our OG Oasis – this is Knebworth today!”. But it’s worth taking a moment to look at how we got here. He continues, “I went on tour with them with a band I followed around at the time, and saw them at the Prince Albert in Brighton and loads of 100 capacity venues, or like the Moon Club in Cardiff which is 80 capacity. Madness!”. Another tells me how they’ve been here from the start: “I first heard them on the radio, when the first singles came out, but I’ve never actually seen them before, so it’s about time!”. It feels like it’s about time for Fontaines D.C., too, who have toiled for over ten years, working their way up from the grassroots into one of the biggest bands in the world; they’ve done their time. Some of the younger fans I met, those who’ve helped fuel the band’s post ‘Skinty Fia’ explosion, would’ve only been 10 years old, or possibly younger, when Fontaines started playing gigs. In that time, five lads from Dublin have managed to turn underground post-punk emanating from pub backrooms and tiny venues into a mainstream cultural behemoth.
@soyoungmagazine What’s your favourite @Fontaines D.C. song or album? Speaking to fans at the Fontaines D.C. Finsbury Park show to find out their favourite songs. #fontainesdc #fontaines ♬ original sound – So Young
They’re not the only ones capturing their moment, either. There was a noticeable rush of people into the park in the late afternoon. Enter Kneecap. Having become the epicentre of the latest round of culture wars for their support of the Palestinian cause, they’ve since been decried by the Prime Minister, had their Glastonbury set pulled from the BBC and member Mo Chara has ended up in court. The result of this right-wing backlash? It’s made them the band of the moment. As they took to the stage, it was the first time of the day that the park felt truly busy. A lot of people had got down to see what all the fuss was about. “Kneecap will never be this far down on a bill ever again”, one fan told me just before they came on. He might well be right. Speaking to others, it feels like Kneecap, and their advocacy, have really connected with them – in a way few other artists have. The young fans I spoke to in particular seemed to resonate with their vehemently outspoken politics combining with the music. As one said, “I love how vocal they are about Palestine, it makes me feel like I’m supporting the right people”.
In the maelstrom of headlines and controversy, it can be easy to forget that these are three lads from the Belfast, doing it for the fun of it. Are they provocative? Absolutely. Do they know what they’re doing? Of course. But they’re having a laugh at the same time. The message, of course, is incredibly serious and they take having such a platform with importance, even stopping the show to talk about the disconnect between celebrating the joy of live music and the atrocities being committed in Gaza and the West Bank. But it’s exactly this why so many got down early to see them, and why so many resonate with them. And calling Kier Starmer a “shit Jeremy Corbyn” is also very funny. It couldn’t be put much better than this fan: “they’re fucking legends – what the boys are doing at the moment is insane”.
To then follow that with Amyl and the Sniffers is testament to the excellent curation that made the day feel like such a moment. Dancing through the crowd as ‘Security’ opened their set was a personal highlight, but all throughout the set, and across the sea of people, there were those really going for it. A hundred personal mosh pits. Amyl and the Sniffers may make music to thrash to, but Amy Taylor is a true role model to so many, and her messages really do hit home.
There was then one final chance for trips to the bar and toilets (good luck to anyone who attempted it), before the moment was upon us. This had been a day of celebration of guitar music and the scenes which incubate it. But above all else, this was a day for Fontaines D.C.. Years of hard work and graft were what had brought them here, but as another fan told me, “it’s bands like Fontaines D.C. which deserve it”. The setlist was a joyous mix of everything they’d accomplished to this point. Deep cuts from ‘Dogrel’ (shout out to the Scottish fans who predicted ‘Liberty Belle’), alongside the new hits and choice picks from ‘A Hero’s Death’ and ‘Skinty Fia’. Speaking to fans about the band’s progression across these albums, it’s clear it’s something that they value and sets Fontaines D.C. apart. “’Boys in the Better Land’ to ‘Romance’ is such a leap, but its progression as well. What makes them unique is every time they bring out an album it’s a new sound”, a man in a tricolour balaclava tells me as we chat in the lull between bands, “they don’t stay the one thing, they change every time”. Those shifting sounds are evident early on, as opener ‘Here’s The Thing’ leads into ‘Jackie Down The Line’ and ‘Boys in the Better Land’. It’s one hell of a start. From the off, 45,000 people are jumping, singing, moshing. There’s even a green flare let off. Talk about on brand.
But what’s also clear from the beginning is the emotional connection that Fontaines D.C. elicit. Whether that’s groups of friends hugging each other as they sing along, couples stealing a kiss, or strangers embracing each other. It’s these individual bonds that fuel the wider sense of connection with the band and make 45,000 people feel like they all know one another. The band power through song after song, leaving little time for chat. Not that it’s necessary, given the constant clamouring for more. And besides, Fontaines D.C. have made a habit of doing the talking with their music. “Maybe romance is a place” Grian Chatten sings, and you believe him. More than that, it feels like that place is Finsbury Park. As ‘I Love You’ starts, the collective euphoria feels like its reached its peak; this crowd is singing it to and for this band, and each other. ‘Starbuster’ closes us out – a final chance to get it all out. A track borne from anxiety instead becomes a final breath. But this was about more than the band themselves. This was for each and every fan. Those who caught on early and those who’ve only just discovered them. “I only got a ticket last week – I cried a little bit”, one person confides to me. I am certain they weren’t the only shed.
If Fontaines D.C. have proved one thing on a weekend of farewells (Black Sabbath) and comebacks (Oasis), it’s that the world of guitar music isn’t all about the past. Instead, they’ve injected an urgency and freshness to the scene. To see it on such a large scale feels genuinely exciting. And Fontaines D.C. are bringing that new generation with them, too; they’re watching it right in front of their eyes. Pick up a guitar and start messing about with your mates, and well, who knows, this could be the result. When it’s right in front of you, it suddenly doesn’t feel so impossible.
Photos by Jeanie Jean.
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