Fontaines D.C. at Glastonbury 2024: no nonsense, just pure post-punk
At A Glance: As Dua Lipa treated audiences at the Pyramid Stage to her catalogue of pop mastery, Fontaines D.C. offered something a little more radical on the opposing side of Worthy Farm. The Irish post-punks wasted no time in delivering a deluge of their best-loved tracks at Glastonbury Festival, both old and new, and getting a fatigued Friday evening crowd enthusiastic once again.
The Crowd: Very much the crowd you would expect from any standard Fontaines D.C. performance: legions of fathers with cracking vinyl collections necking overpriced real ale, dedicated Irish fans swinging Bohemian F.C. flags over the crowd, and a hearty mix of newcomers eager to see what all the fuss is about.
The Crack: If you were looking for stage patter and a gentle atmosphere, Fontaines frontman Grian Chatten is not the man you would go to. The extent of his crowd banter was the odd “y’alright?” between tracks – but perhaps it is better that way. This is the no-nonsense, honest reputation that Fontaines have amassed over the years: cut the fat, play the tunes, put on a show, and get the job done.
The Classics: After opening with the brooding suspense of ‘Romance’ – the as-yet-unreleased title track from their upcoming record, the band launched into a mile-a-minute megamix of their greatest efforts from across the three albums released thus far. Songs like ‘Big’ and ‘I Love You’ went down particularly well with the crowd, but new singles like ‘Starburster’, which concluded their set, exhibited how beloved their cracking new singles have quickly become.
The Breakdown: One of the scarcest resources at Glastonbury is energy. Accumulating over 15 miles worth of walking every day and surviving only on fried food from the back of a van, it can be difficult to keep going. Luckily, everybody’s favourite post-punk revivalists Fontaines D.C. were on hand at the Park Stage to deliver a much-needed shot of adrenaline.
There are no pleasantries when it comes to Fontaines. They emerged from the fog to rapturous applause and immediately erupted into ‘Romance’. Over the next hour and a bit, the Dublin band delivered a whistle-stop tour through their incredible discography. Of course, old favourites like ‘Boys in the Better Land’ and ‘Chequeless Reckless’ were present, but promising newcomers like ‘Starburster’ and ‘Favourite’ were just as enjoyable.
Although he is clearly a man of few words, Chatten is among the finest frontmen of modern times. Standing at the front of the Park stage, he commanded the audience like a captain commands his ship – with dignity, authority, and a certain sense of unpredictability, even if a few technical issues evidently plagued him at points.
I will be the first to admit my scepticism towards this new era of Fontaines. The stylish photoshoots, arena tours and magazine covers seem totally at odds with the no-frills rock and roll that the band established in their early work. However, their live show quickly put me in my place. While they might not dress the same as they used to, donning clownish boots and The Joker’s cast-offs, Fontaines are still the same confrontational, adrenaline-fuelled rockers that they always have been.
It was this burst of post-punk brilliance that energised the crowd at Glastonbury, sending them into the depths of the night with a renewed sense of appreciation for Fontaines D.C. and this generation’s bands in general. There is certainly something special about the band; no matter how many times you see Chatten belting out ‘Jackie Down the Line’, it never seems to lose its impact or emotion.
Fontaines’ set was an indisputable highlight of Friday at Glastonbury, as everybody in the packed-out Park crowd can attest. As the band continue to develop musically, with an eagerly anticipated new album on the horizon, they show no signs of stepping away from the limelight any time soon.
