Live Review: Fontaines D.C. - Finsbury Park
- Sarah Murray Bowles
- Sep 19
- 5 min read
With Fontaines D.C.’s 10-month world tour to celebrate their most recent album, ‘Romance’, coming to an end, it is time to look back and reflect on their biggest headline show to date. On the 5th July of this year, the Irish post-punk band took to the stage at Finsbury Park, a prestigious outdoor venue having hosted bands and artists such as Sam Fender, The 1975 and Arctic Monkeys. The event was their largest headline show to date, with 45,000 guests in attendance. ‘Romance’ is an album that is still held so dear in hearts across the world, even since its release over a year ago. The tour means so much to fans alike, and there is no doubt that their show at Finsbury Park will go down as one of their most important.
With a plethora of talented support acts warming up for the band, it was certainly the ultimate day out. Kicking it off were Cardinals and Been Stellar, before Blondshell stepped to the stage for a performance that gripped the attention of the crowd, whether they knew her previously or not. Soon after, the outspoken hip-hop trio Kneecap came forward, and shocked the crowd with an action-packed set - nothing less than what you’d expect from them, but so much more. The trio got the crowd going with a set of upbeat and meaningful songs, for example ‘H.O.O.D’ and ‘Fine Art’, even bringing the headliner’s frontman, Grian Chatten, out for a performance of their song, ‘Better Way To Live’, really grabbing the attention of the crowd. After a political and outspoken display, Australian rock and punk band Amyl and the Sniffers ascended the stage for a fun-filled but striking display. A personal favourite song of mine was ‘Guarded by Angels’, and as someone who was not overly familiar with the band before the concert, I am confident that they will continue to be a favourite of mine. Having moved forward to the front pitch during the break between Kneecap and Amyl and the Sniffers, it was an incredible experience to be so close to the action whilst they were on.
The anticipation was palpable in the air during the wait for the band, but with a playlist in the background and chants coursing through the crowd, there was never a dull moment. The clock hit 8:30, and we all held our breaths. The first walk out consisted of drummer Tom Coll, guitarist Conor Curley, bassist Conor “Deego” Deegan III and guitarist Carlos O’Connell. Once settled on the stage, the exhilarating extended intro of ‘Here’s The Thing’ started, before Chatten walked out with his usual swagger. The first part of the setlist consisted of ‘Jackie Down the Line’, the energetic ‘Boys in the Better Land’ and ‘Televised Mind’, three songs from three different albums that broadcast the depth and breadth the band have the ability to make real and perfect. They then played ‘Roman Holiday’, a song from their third album, ‘Skinty Fia’, which many fans hold in their hearts as among their favourites, the song even having been added to the playlist of Gavin and Stacey: The Finale, a show that is held so dear to many. ‘It’s Amazing to Be Young’ was next on the bill, followed by ‘Big Shot’ and ‘Death Kink’, the latter being among my personal favourites of the band’s entire discography. They moved on to the titular song of their Sophomore album, ‘A Hero’s Death’, before playing ‘Before You I Just Forget’ from ‘Romance (Deluxe Edition)’.
The next song was possibly the highlight of the concert for me; my favourite song by the band is ‘Motorcycle Boy’, and experiencing it live elicited feelings I find hard to explain. I am so grateful to have heard it live again the following week, and as a song that means so much to me, it was no doubt one of my top concert memories ever. ‘Horseness Is the Whatness’ was next, dedicated to O’Connell’s family, and then was ‘Big’. ‘Big’ is another song that I would place very high in my ranking of the discography, being from my favourite of their albums. Following on was ‘Bug’, ‘Nabokov’ and ‘Desire’, before the esteemed and widely-recognised closing track of the latest record was played. It was beautiful to watch so many people coming together; parents and children, friends, boyfriends and girlfriends holding hands and hugging as we all sang along with teary eyes. On every night of the tour, ‘Favourite’ had been the final song before the encore. However, at Finsbury Park we noticed the band did not walk off as quickly as normal. There was one question running through my mind: “will there be an extra song?” I was not surprised that there might be, as their stage-time was a lot longer than normal, lasting 2 hours, but what I did not expect was what they actually played.
Before this concert, Fontaines D.C. had not played ‘Liberty Belle’ off their debut album, ‘Dogrel’ since 2022. The song is what I remember to be my first favourite song of theirs, but I never expected to hear it live. I heard a familiar drum beat, froze, turned to my friends, and then moved because I thought: “it couldn’t possibly be.” But it was, and it was electric. I couldn’t think straight, and it was so perfect to finally be seeing my favourite band live, but it was even more perfect that they played a song I hold so close to my heart. After the shock of the song had subsided, the band walked off stage, and we were left in anticipation for longer than the usual encore would last.
When they finally came back out, we heard the opening chords of the titular song and the first track of their most recent endeavour. Romance was truly in the air as it played, and the lights from the stage illuminating into the dark of the night made it an unbelievably ethereal moment. Closely following was ‘In the Modern World’, before the unmistakable bass tab of ‘I Love You’ started. Being one of the band’s biggest songs, the crowd, all the way to the back, was singing in unison. Upon the start of the bridge, a message reading ‘Free Palestine’ flashed the screens. Cheers and support coursed through the masses, recognising the political morals and outspokenness of the band. Fontaines D.C. is a band that are constantly applauded for their courageousness when it comes to speaking out against genocide, and nobody, no matter their political beliefs, can say otherwise.
Closing the show was ‘Starburster’, the lead single of the ‘Romance’ album, which truly was an unforgettable moment. The song is a fan favourite for many, and it was definitely a sight to turn around to watch everybody singing back to the band.
Fontaines D.C. at Finsbury Park was an incredible night; the single word I can use to describe it was magical.
Written by Sarah Murray Bowles for CeolMagazine!
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