Fontaines D.C. are in NYC doing press/hype for their forthcoming fourth album ROMANCE, and in addition to probably too many interviews they played Fallon on Tuesday and then Brooklyn’s Warsaw on Wednesday night. Announced less than a week before happening, this was also their first show in seven months and an underplay for the Irish band; Warsaw felt as packed as I’ve seen it and the crowd grew antsy as the clock ticked past their scheduled 9 PM start time.
Around 9:10, Sinéad O’Connor’s “Troy” came over the speakers and I expected the band to walk out midway, but the song played through, followed by an awkward few seconds, and then another mournful ballad blared much louder over the P.A. It became clear that this was ROMANCE‘s title track, and those hoping that the night would be a live preview of the new album were set for disappointment. For everyone else though, 99% of the crowd I’m guessing, it was a hitfest.
Fontaines walked out, dressed in the very mid-’90s style they’ve been rocking for this album (very Hackers / Go / Biodome), and opened with “Nobokov” to wild applause; the momentum just kept going from there. Any moment where the the crowd seemed to simmer down, frontman Grian Chatten (sporting a Yankees Aaron Judge 99 jersey) was there to whip them back into a frenzy, waving his arms like he was conducting fans. The show kept building and building and by the time they got to the final stretch of “Too Real,” “Roman Holiday,” “Boys in the Better Land” and “Jackie Down the Line” the sweaty churn of the front half of the room had reached back by the soundboard where I was watching.
They closed out the main set with great new single “Starburster,” which elicited an instant, loud WOOOO from the audience and was a great way to end it. They returned for a three song encore: “Big” from Doggerel, then the live debut of new song “Favourite,” which is probably the closest they’ve come to jangly guitar pop as we’ve heard, and then finishing with “I Love You.” Great show.
Check out photos by P Squared, plus video of new songs “Starburster” and “Favourite,” and the Brooklyn setlist, below.
ROMANCE is out August 23 via XL and they’ll be on tour this fall with Been Stellar, including a show at Brooklyn Paramount on October 15 (tickets on sale 5/10).
SETLIST: Fontaines D.C. @ Warsaw 5/8/2024
Nabokov
A Lucid Dream
Skinty Fia
Televised Mind
How Cold Love Is
I Don’t Belong
Sha Sha Sha
A Hero’s Death
Hurricane Laughter
Too Real
Roman Holiday
Boys in the Better Land
Jackie Down the Line
Starburster
Encore:
Big
Favourite
I Love You