Article by Umberto Scaramozzino
All doubts have been dispelled some time ago, but every live show is an excellent opportunity to add an unnecessary confirmation and to reiterate it: the Fontaines DC they are the truly great contemporary rock band. Saying “of the moment” is perhaps no longer enough, because it would give the idea of a transitory state, while here we are talking about something extremely concrete and consolidated and the concert ofAlcatraz Of Milan of 4 November 2024 is for us Italians the final seal on this noble investiture.
Everything about the Fontaines DC today seems thought out down to the smallest detail and offered as part of a single exceptional package. The opening act of this tour is no exception, i.e Wunderhorse Of Jacob Slater: one of those groups that usually come to the ears of new listeners with the proverbial label of “favorite band of your favorite band” and who are evidently destined to become big, perhaps very big. They are pampered by the Fontaines, who for the second time choose them as support and for the second time contribute to the creation of a combination of absolute quality.
This one in Milan could be one of the last times we get to see the Dublin band in a club. The path seems widely traced and in this sense the scope of this is already very eloquent sold out very early, followed by a feverish search for tickets that accompanied the equally frenetic wait for the evening. There is no doubt that at this rate, as has already happened in other European countries, the next goal is sports halls. This show therefore becomes even more precious, which begins as expected with the opener, as well as title track, of the new album: “Romance”. There are those who might have objections to the choice, preferring the explosive start that “Starbuster” could have offered and which would perhaps have guaranteed greater continuity with the expectations of the fans of the first hour, but the atmosphere created by this song is at the same time the renewal of a very explicit declaration of intent and a great proof artistic maturity. And then, let's say it openly: “Maybe Romance is a place” is one of the best taglines to come out of rock album promotion in recent years.
As is right, the new recording chapter takes over the setlist, leaving reasonable space for “Skinty Fia” – which today sounds even better than in the past – and a few residual fragments from the first two studio albums, “Drogel” and “A Hero's Death”. The result is one high class performanceless aggressive but more aware, in which we can also glimpse a good dose of craftnecessary for those who have to support the caustic rhythms of the mainstream circuit, given that this band's plans are very long-term and one cannot survive the test of time by focusing everything on fury and post-punk revival. Certainly those who have been lucky enough to see the Irish bad boys several times in the past know well that the energy released byexpressive urgency of the early Fontaines DC was a breath of fresh air, because never, not even for a moment, did it give the idea that it was a pose. It was all authentic, necessary and almost primordial. But if there is a right way to evolve and leave the past behind, this is undoubtedly the best possible one.
The absence of songs like “Too Real” and “I Don't Belong”, present in the setlist in the summer tour, is felt, but the new “Bug” and “Death Kink” give very little space to regrets. Although the sounds are not exactly excellent – it seems there was also some bad mood due to some technical problems – and despite some small signs of absolutely physiological tiredness, the sound is also solid and compact as never before, proving the great growth that the company has enjoyed. training in these very intense years.
Under the stage of Grian Chatten and co. there are various generations that meet and sometimes clash – unfortunately there is no shortage of embarrassing scenes of paper-wrapped music lovers holding their smartphone horizontally and complaining about the mosh pit – but there is also a great sense of continuity between tradition and innovation.
Perhaps the greatest advantage of the Fontaines DC is precisely that of knowing how to offer a valid and credible contemporary alternative to the great rock references of the pastwithout remaining anchored to dusty models and without being tied to passing fashions. If you haven't yet understood the quality and scope of the Fontaines DC phenomenon, don't worry: there is still time to immerse yourself in the four acts of this story and get on the winners' bandwagon. There's room for everyone.
FONTAINES DC – the lineup of the concert in Milan
Romance
Jackie Down the Line
Televised Mind
A Lucid Dream
Roman Holiday
Big Shot
Death Kink
Sundowner
Big
A Hero's Death
Here's the Thing
Bugs
Horseness Is the Whatness
Nabokov
Boys in the Better Land
Favorite
Encore:
In the Modern World
I Love You
Starburst
FONTAINES DC – Tour 2025
TUESDAY 17 JUNE 2025 – BOLOGNA – SEQUOIE MUSIC PARK
WEDNESDAY 18 JUNE 2025 – ROME – ROCK IN ROME
THURSDAY 19 JUNE 2025 – MILAN – OVERHEAD CRANE
Tickets at this link > https://tidd.ly/3yYP68l
Or > https://ticketmasteritalia.46uy.net/fonta2025
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
