I recently saw Fontaines D.C. live for the first time at Amsterdam's AFAS stage - a sold-out two-day event, as befits one of the best new (or the most hyped, take your pick) bands of the last decade. Their dynamic performance lived up to my expectations, especially cocky kilt-wearing frontman Grian Chatten who was shouting the lyrics while jumping and prancing up and down the stage. Not a great communicator; he hardly spoke a few words to the audience, but he did try to get them to shout "Free Palestine" during his performance of "Too Real" off the band's debut. A risky move, seeing as this was at the time a touchy subject in Amsterdam, after the ruckus with the street fights between Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans and pro-Palestine youths a few days prior to the concert. To make their feelings more clear, the band also hang a big Palestinian flag onstage in front of their console. Since that fact wasn't mentioned in any of the reviews of previous day's concert, I suppose they had just become aware of recent events, and that -true to the fighting spirit of their lyrics- they spontaneously decided to ignore possible backlash and come out in support of what they believe to be a just cause.
If I'm not mistaken, Skinty Fia found the band living in London instead of their native Dublin. Not that it's in any way an English album: if Dublin was the protagonist of their debut Dogrel, this one deals with Ireland from an expat's point of view. Don't expect any jigs and reels, though - the closer they get to old-timey folk is the accordion on the forlorn ballad "The Couple Across the Way". But they do, for the first time, include songs with Gaelic titles: apparently "Skinty Fia" is an odd swearword that translates as "the damnation of the deer"; the title track has a pure 80's goth intro with low bass, dancefloor beat and sharp guitar bursts. The second Gaelic-titled track is opener "In ár gCroíthe go deo" (meaning "in our hearts forever"). It was inspired by a recent story Grian read about; a British woman of Irish heritage was to be buried with a gravestone bearing this phrase but the Church of England prohibited it, because any use of the Irish language was considered "too political". The meaning of the lyrics isn't perfectly clear to me, but the song is defined by a beautiful and somewhat rueful chorus, including nice harmonies. The band's sound is usually described as "post-punk", which sounds correct if somewhat vague. There are similarities to 80's bands like Joy Division, The Cure, and The Fall - the latter because of the half-sung half-spoken vocals. The band also acknowledge a debt to My Bloody Valentine and their shoegaze brethren; this is more evident in this specific album, which comes off as more atmospheric and less punky than its predecessors. Not forgetting some electronic and hip hop elements, as well as a Pogues influence - at least concerning the lyricism, poetic mood, and everpresent underlying Irishness. My favorite tracks here also include the Smiths-like single "Jackie Down the Line" as well as "Roman Holiday" and "I Love You" - like Cure in one of their relatively sunnier days. I'm less impressed by their hazy atmospheric pieces "Bloomsday" and "Nabokov", though they work well as closers of each LP side. I rarely come across a recent album which I can tell will stand the test of time, but Skinty Fia has, in my opinion, "future classic" written all over it.
**** for In ár gCroíthe go deo, Big Shot, Jackie Down the Line, Roman Holiday, Skinty Fia, I Love You
*** for How Cold Love Is, Bloomsday, The Couple Across the Way, Nabokov
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