How Tom Waits became Fontaines DC’s biggest influence: “The least compromising music”
Walkout songs have got to be picked carefully as they soundtrack the moment excited fans have likely been waiting months for, and they need to build an unbridled amount of tension. We all now know that Fontaines DC have crafted their own perfect walk-on with ‘Romance’, but what existed before?
Because there were, of course, three—and I would be open to arguing—better albums before Romance. My favourite of which is A Hero’s Death, their second, more experimental foray into the world of post-punk. It was an album that secured them the headline slot for the Green Man Festival in 2021, a show in which I stood in the crowd, waiting with anticipation.
At this point, they were still very much a band caught up in the realms of DIY production. Elaborate graphics hadn’t yet passed the budget, and frontman Grian Chatten was still growing into his stardom. And so, without the self-designed drama of ‘Romance’ to lean on, I wondered what third-party song could pave the way for what felt like a strikingly unique band.
As the lights dimmed, the slow piano melody of Tom Waits’ ‘Dirt in the Ground’ bled out of the PA system. Sonically, it had all the brooding drama appropriate for a forthcoming Fontaines DC show, but it was lyrically dense. The sort of song that begged undivided attention, and the sort it wouldn’t get from a rowdy festival crowd.
But for those who did listen, they would have been struck by the overwhelming darkness. Waits’ musings on existentialism and what he ultimately views as the meaninglessness of life don’t exactly fall in line with the vitality of festival life. Or maybe, it does? Maybe as this burgeoning band of modern-day rock stars stood side-of-stage, ready to play a headline slot, the meaning of this entire pursuit paled into significance.
But beyond that speculation lies the simple fact that Waits’ voice represents importance for the band. He’s a voice who has guided them on their own artistic journey and, for Chatten, has taught him how to remain authentic in the face of commercial pressures.
During Fontaines DC’s residency on BBC 6 Music, Chatten said, “Tom Waits is someone who has made for the majority, the least compromising music throughout his career, but gotten quite big. And I think that he’s probably one of the biggest influencers on me as an artist, personally, in terms of, I don’t know, just a really healthy relationship with songwriting. He just seems to be forever in love of it, and never letting that relationship stagnate.”
When any self-made band experiences the soaring heights of success, Fontaines DC are now in the depths in, where the sharp teeth of commercial sharks come biting. Desperate requests for the band to compromise on their morals flood in, threatening the sort of authenticity that makes their art so compelling. Navigating those murky waters will forever be difficult, but it seems, as long as the gravelly voice of Tom Waits ushers them on whatever size stage they might play, Fontaines DC will be protected.
