Fontaines D.C. reveal why they won't be doing 'f**king Zoom performances in bathrooms'

IRELAND’S latest music heroes Fontaines D.C., whose current album has been nominated for a Grammy, have revealed how the pandemic has given them a chance to catch their breath after a hectic couple of years.

Band members Grian Chatten, Carlos O'Connell, Conor Curley, Conor Deegan and Tom Coll met in Dublin while attending music college at BIMMI.

Their feet have barely touched the ground since the release of their debut album, Dogrel, early last year.

“It wasn’t even the rise of the band that was head-spinning,” Chatten told NME.

“It was the pace and the relentlessness of it. I really did feel like we were put into a chamber that spins around and you come out the other side. I don’t really know what’s gone on for the last year, I’ve been so focused on what we’ve been doing.”

Grian said that the lockdown will probably be beneficial to the band in the long run, rather than affecting their momentum.

He said: “It might add to more longevity because we won’t be burning out. I’m focusing on writing and feeling free. I’ve never really thought about the trajectory of the band… I find it has a negative impact on your ability to create when you’re considering where it’s going and who it’s for.

Best Rock Album nominations

• Fontaines D.C. - A Hero’s Death
• Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
• Grace Potter - Daylight
• Sturgill Simpson - Sound and Fury
• The Strokes - The New Abnormal

"If we were going to be one of those bands that did loads of f**king Zoom performances in bathrooms and that we’d probably fade out overnight.”

Meanwhile, Mayo is celebrating the news that two of their own have been nominated for the Grammy.

Fontaines D.C. bass player Conor Deegan and drummer Tom Coll are both from Castlebar. Deegan is regularly seen wearing aMayo GAA jersey during live performances.

The band got their name from a character, Johnny Fontane, in the movie The Godfather.

They were originally called The Fontaines, but they added the initials D.C. after discovering that a band in Los Angeles had the same name. The initials D.C. stand for Dublin City.

The 63rd Grammy Awards will take place on January 31, 2021.