Maybe Romance Is A Fontaines D.C. Show

It may not be Dublin City, but the damp streets of Seattle set quite a formidable backdrop for a packed warehouse of nonconformist, post-punk-loving Jet City residents hungry for the opportunity to bathe in a wall of sound… and there they were — the Irish quintet Fontaines D.C., with their captivating, critically acclaimed sound that cuts through the status quo of modern music. As Grammy nominees and recipients of The Album Award from Rolling Stone UK, there is little anyone can leave to desire more of after their performance, be it the first or tenth time seeing them perform.

On this particular evening, April 17th, 2025, the atmosphere at Showbox SODO was charged, with an audience buzzing in anticipation as if each heartbeat synced with the vibrant mix of shoegaze spirit and post-punk rebellion. Four albums in, Fontaines D.C. continue to speak the truths of a generation, reflecting the struggles and triumphs woven through sound, a lifeline for those seeking something genuine in this restless world.

As the room filled with an ominous wall of sound and the stage faded from black to green, the band opened their nineteen-song set with the title track of their most recently released album, Romance. The crowd erupted into a chant of the evocatively haunting lyric, “Maybe romance is a place for me and you,” setting an introspective and intimate scene for the rest of the non-stop electric set. As a second lingered after the crowd-lifting opener, a thought floated through the warehouse: Maybe romance is a Fontaines D.C. show…

If anyone identifies themselves as a Fontaines D.C. fan, this is the tour you do not want to miss. Not that this is a band with many “B-sides” or “album fillers,” but they play every hit — back to back to back. From their newest release, “It’s Amazing To Be Young,” to Skinty Fia’s “Nabakov” and “Jackie Down The Line,” as well as the sophomore album title track “A Hero’s Death” — but, you showed up to hear songs from the debut album Dogrel? They tore through “Big” like it was a prophecy for their success and recognition, all coming true. And of course, how could it be a Fontaines D.C. show without the post-punk self-identifying anthem “Boys In The Better Land” — and they don’t stop there. For the Seattleites who picked up the vinyl for the newest release, “Romance,” at Easy Street Records and haven’t taken it off the turntable since, the set was filled with plenty from this critically acclaimed release, including “Death Kink,” “Bug,” and more… but who wants to give all of that away in a review of the first show of the tour?

As the night wore on, the energy in the Pacific Northwestern warehouse reached a fever pitch, igniting the crowd in a firestorm of emotion when the band broke away from the stage for a short respite from their non-stop guitar thrashing and tambourine slamming. As the cheering crowd faded into confusion about whether or not the band would return to the stage, a chant broke out as if the room had been transported 4,500 miles to the heart of Dublin as the audience rang out “Ole Ole Ole… Ole Ole.” When the band returned to the stage, frontman Grian Chatten grabbed his fittingly decorated microphone adorned with orange, white, and green tape. The encore began with a soul-soothing sing-along of “In The Modern World,” where voices lifted in harmony, weaving a tapestry of longing and connection that echoed through the walls.

Once the final note rang out, it erupted into an all-or-nothing display of emotional warfare as Fontaines D.C. unleashed their relentless spirit with “Desire,” a track that encapsulates the urgency of yearning and the raw energy of aspiration. Its driving guitar riffs and Chatten’s chilling vocals tore through the air, binding the band and fans in a shared catharsis. With no retreat in sight, the band took to “I Love You” with an intensity that left no heart untouched, as if sung just for those in the room. As they launched into the set closer, the unmistakable synthesizer chords met with a generation-defining drumbeat, and the crowd shrieked, roared, cheered, and hung in collective anticipation… “Starburster,” the room transformed into a pulsating hive of life, a celebration of youth and a joyous release of everything that had come before. In that moment, it became unmistakably evident: this wasn’t just a concert—it was the exhilarating crescendo of a shared journey, a definitive testament to the raw power of music to unite, uplift, and ignite the soul, leaving an indelible mark on all who were fortunate enough to experience it.

Fontaines D.C. are now on tour in the United States with limited tickets available.