They're wonderfully introverted and incredibly lairy - and this compelling juxtaposition in itself is part of the reason why Dublin's Fontaines D.C. are seen as one of the most exciting live acts around right now. Between songs frontman Grian Chatten barely says anything - but the social commentary through his monotonous, and somewhat magnetic, drawl packs a powerful message.
In front of a sold-out Rock City on Tuesday evening (November 22), the post-punk five-piece are touring their third album Skinty Fia, which explores a number of themes - including Irish people adjusting to life abroad; the band now live in London. They rattle through the 20-song set like a steam train as Chatten, clad in a baggy shirt, delivers some life advice for himself in second track A Hero's Death, singing chorus "life ain't always easy..."
There's a look of Ian Brown about Chatten - not least because of his use of the tambourine as he paces the stage with purpose. Whilst lines early on in Skinty Fia - "but we can talk about it later, you can read it in the paper" - have been likened to something off an Oasis song. Other tracks have been compared to Pogues songs.
