LIVE REVIEW: FONTAINES D.C., SHAME
THE RIVERSTAGE, BRISBANE
SATURDAY, 1ST MARCH 2025
Photos: Yejin Cho @record_played
Words: Ben Preece
Fontaines D.C.: The Right Kind of Hype
Ireland’s finest return, riding the momentum of Romance and winning over an even bigger audience.
It feels like only yesterday that our favourite Irish rockers, Fontaines D.C., last graced our shores—but now they're returning armed with more commercial hype and what many are calling their best album yet, Romance. Released mid-last year, their fourth album quickly seeped into our collective consciousness as we marvelled at the band's evolution and their huge, stadium-sized songs. They’d always delivered hard-hitting tracks, but the tracks on Romance weaponise this and take it further. It seems they're hitting their stride, and we love seeing what we consider to be the right kind of zeitgeist-carving art that resonates—not just with the early-adopting punkheads but, judging by this crowd, an increasingly commercial audience. And, surprisingly, it's spanning all ages!
Wunderhorse Out, shame Steps Up
London’s post-punk chaos merchants deliver a scorching opening set.
While it was gutting for Wunderhorse fans to hear that the so-hot-right-now outfit had to cancel their support slot due to “unforeseen personal circumstances,” the return of South London’s shame is far from a disappointment. Last seen here in 2018 at Laneway Festival—and once dubbed "2018's angriest, shoutiest young British guitar band"—shame has since evolved into something truly unmissable.
Charlie Steen: A Punk Messiah?
A stage prowl, a crowd walk, and a whole lot of ‘motherfucker.’
Dressed head-to-toe like a character from A Clockwork Orange, frontman Charlie Steen prowls the stage menacingly, overusing the word "motherfucker" but otherwise delivering a masterclass in post-punk intensity. As an added focal point, bassist Josh Finerty literally throws himself around to the point of self-harm, while the rest of the band—Eddie Green (guitar), Sean Coyle-Smith (guitar), and Charlie Forbes (drums)—holds down the set almost as if the chaos isn’t happening around them.
The setlist is relentless, heating up from feverish to full-blown inferno. Steen eventually launches himself into the crowd—a standard move, sure—until he takes it further, standing triumphantly atop a sea of flailing punters, balancing himself for a good half of 'Adderall' like some punk messiah. It’s one of the greatest sets by a support band in recent memory, hopefully, the band feels that too and comes back with less of a gap than last time for a full-length set.
The Arrival of a Generation-Defining Band
Fontaines D.C. hit the stage—cinematic, commanding, and louder than ever.
In no time, the lights drop completely, save for a single, towering spotlight illuminating the 80s fluro Fontaines D.C. logo. The ominous synth intro of 'Romance' hums beneath the deafening roar of the crowd, setting the tone as the band slips onto stage in the dark one-by-one. It’s an eerie vibe—dark, dramatic, and electric with not a guitar in sight yet. The thunderous pulse and crack of the song’s instrumentation cast an almost cinematic gloom over the field.
It’s a brief introduction with a tension that's quickly shattered by the one-two strike of 'Jackie Down The Line' and 'Televised Mind,' a pair of the band's biggest cuts from their third (Skinty Fia) and second (A Hero’s Death) albums respectively. The audience’s cheers indicate more of a hero’s welcome though, with the guitars now present as the band feverishly tears through a setlist that now pulls from four albums. We are witnessing the world's next greatest band evolve before our eyes.
Post-Punk No More? The Band’s Expanding Horizons
Shoegaze guitars, shimmering synths, and a glimpse into the future of Fontaines D.C.
At the heart of it all, Grian Chatten has fully embraced his role as the consummate frontman. He commands the stage with a Gallagher-like swagger, his deep, dry baritone slicing through the mix like a preacher. But while Fontaines D.C. are, at their core, a post-punk/Brexitcore rock band, that’s not an entirely accurate description anymore—there’s a cinematic alchemy unravelling to what they do that sets them leagues ahead of their contemporaries.
Shoegaze-inspired guitars lace 'Sundowner' while a brand-new track—'It's Amazing To Be Young'—offers a glimpse into an intriguing new direction for the band. It shimmers with future possibilities. The synths play string lines, Chatten’s voice carries a raw beauty rarely found in the genre, and each member adds their own vocals as they contribute to the behemoth wall of sound and layer the intensity. Meanwhile, 'Here's The Thing' flexes the biggest riff of the night (one this reviewer has been dreaming of hearing live since last August) and either 'Horseness Is The Whiteness' or 'Nabokov' arguably hit the hardest. The main set barrels toward its climax with 'Boys In The Better Land' and 'Favourite' igniting the euphoria right to the end.
The Encore That Was Never in Doubt
They call it an encore, but we all knew they were coming back.
Then they do that thing—the one we all pretend is spontaneous, but everyone knows better. They call it an encore, but let’s think about it: Fontaines D.C. haven’t played some of their biggest tracks yet. Of course, they’re coming back. <eye roll>
One by one, Chatten, Conor Curley (guitars, etc), Conor Deegan III (bass), Tom Coll (drums), Carlos O'Connell (guitars, etc), and Chilli Jessson (keys, synths, etc) return to the stage. A hushed guitar strum signals the start of the tremendous 'In The Modern World,' its production-heavy vocal elements and strings flawlessly executed. 'Desire' and 'I Love You' follow, but the grand finale is its finest.
‘Starburster’ Steals the Show
A sonic panic attack that seals their place at the top.
The thrillingly sinister Starburster isn’t just a closer—it’s a reckoning. A sonic panic attack of hip-hop-infused drums and rapid-fire lyricism, it spits dread in the best possible way. It’s a statement, a warning, and a triumph all at once.
The Verdict: Undeniable Greatness
They’re not just riding the wave—they’re defining it.
If we didn’t already know it, we know it now: Fontaines D.C. might just be the hottest band on the planet. They’re not just riding a wave of success—they're carving out all-time greatness. Fans have felt it for years, but now? Now, it's undeniable.
FONTAINES D.C. — FULL GALLERY
SHAME — FULL GALLERY
Fontaines D.C. live review
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