shame-fontaines-dublin

Photos: Sachyn Mital

Shame + Fontaines D.C. Devastate in Dublin

The two powerful rock acts under the Tivoli's roof could have torn the building down (which is gonna be a hotel soon).

Shame

About a week after Shame earned Rough Trade’s album of the year nod for their debut Songs of Praise and after Fontaines D.C. signed to Partisan Records, I found myself waiting in line for their show at the Tivoli Theatre in Dublin. I wasn’t aware of either band much before this gig — I had only heard the few Fontaines D.C. songs available and was barely familiar with Shame — but what little I heard hooked me. Fortunately, my vacation lined up with this show, so I had to check them out.

Listening to Fontaines D.C., I was enticed by the of madcap leanings of their music, particularly the song “Hurricane Laughter”. Lead singer Grian Chatten’s poetic delivery is still swirling around my head. He and the rest of the band, Conor Deegan III, Carlos O’Connell, Conor Curley, and Tom Coll, were formidable on stage. The group performed a handful of their infectious post-punk songs to a wild crowd previewing some that will likely appear on their forthcoming debut full-length (with producer Dan Carey). The group ended their short set with their two best tracks, “Boys in the Better Land” and “Hurricane Laughter”. The whole time, Chatten demonstrated a stillness that didn’t do anything to diminish the fire of the hometown audience.

Shame, on the other hand, were untamed. Vocalist Charlie Steen was undoing his collar before the end of the second song and was shirtless by the end of the show. Steen and the rest of the group, Sean Coyle-Smith & Eddie Green (guitars), Charlie Forbes (drums) and Josh Finerty (bass), are a tight rock group unafraid of letting loose. Punk songs like the “Dust on Trial” simmer with rage while “On Rizla” spits more pointedly (this was the first song the group wrote together). An audience wound up by the openers was quickly unwound as well — mosh circles formed and Steen was out in and atop of the crowd several times during the set.

Overall, it was a great evening with some rising rock talent. Photos from their performance and a few songs, including Shame’s new video for “Dust on Trial”, from each band are below.

Fontaines D.C.

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Fontaines D.C.

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The Murder Capital

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Shame

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SET LIST (SHAME)

Dust on Trial
Human, For a Minute
One Rizla
Friction
Tasteless
The Lick
Exhaler
Angie
Lampoon
Gold Hole
Concrete
Donk

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