Did you catch Irish post-punk powerhouses Fontaines D.C.’s rendition of ‘I Was Not Born’? If a performance was capable of throwing punches, this one would have us on the ropes begging for relief… while also saying keep it coming. Shot at iconic rock and roll venue The Lexington, the version of the track encapsulated everything we love about FDC: raw power, heart-on-sleeve lyricism and thumping rhythms.
Naturally it’s sent us down a Fontaines D.C. wormhole that we’re still yet to claw our way out of, and we can in all confidence call ourselves armchair experts on the band. But what good is knowledge if you can’t share it around, right? Below, we’ve ranked and compiled our favourite clips from their now-iconic 2017 debut Dogrel through to their Grammy-nominated album of last year A Hero’s Death. The list is full of 90s pastiches, gloomy weather and heaving tracks.
Check out Fontaines D.C.’s performance for the Jim Beam Welcome Sessions and dig into their best clips below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATXnfQC3Y1U&feature=emb_title
We don’t know who this kid is but he deserves a medal!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiLk6G5N-3Y&list=PLA6hEL7vWN2CAxco02QCplKXPFdAwrErP&index=11
One take, in black and white – this one’s simply all about the music which is why it’s so damn cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgJz1DQTx0U&list=PLA6hEL7vWN2CAxco02QCplKXPFdAwrErP&index=15
A fake talk show, weird puppets, a brooding band. Where do we sign up?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLNt8aMNbvY&list=PLA6hEL7vWN2CAxco02QCplKXPFdAwrErP&index=5
Incorporating Simpsons-style eyeballs that are seemingly slippery as all hell, this one offers another look at the band’s kooky/spooky side:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIbaqtcU0uI&list=PLA6hEL7vWN2CAxco02QCplKXPFdAwrErP&index=12
10 out of 10 for the costumes as the lads link up with a circus for no reason other than to weird us out. Mission accomplished.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IayA-pUG22k&list=PLA6hEL7vWN2CAxco02QCplKXPFdAwrErP&index=8
If you had this on mute, we’d forgive you for thinking it was a clip from the heydays of Britpop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE7vLPSfw6Q
A fitting video collage of isolation, solitude and loneliness for one of the band’s most melancholic tunes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A17xOusHXIQ&list=PLA6hEL7vWN2CAxco02QCplKXPFdAwrErP&index=4
Grainy, chaotic and gritty, this clip feels like it was shot and edited by the team behind The Blair Witch Project, if that team were working class folks from Ireland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EpoaL2r0k8
Ever wanted to hang out with Fontaines D.C.? This clip is pretty much what that would feel like. Fun, huh?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgLypctZ9Gs&list=PLA6hEL7vWN2CAxco02QCplKXPFdAwrErP&index=7
Don’t you just want to give the bloke in this video a hug?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D-JYLhN5Yk&list=PLA6hEL7vWN2CAxco02QCplKXPFdAwrErP&index=10