Fontaines D.C. at 3Arena, Dublin on Friday December 6th 2025

Are Fontaines DC at the top of their game? Their ‘Skinty Fia’ album tour took them to the Iveagh Gardens in 2022. Now ‘Romance’ brings them to new heights – their current arena tour proving the payoff of a new musical and visual direction. ‘Romance’, released in August of this year, sees the most dramatic experimentation from Fontaines DC yet, with tunes like Death Kink and Romance exploring a darker side, while Favourite rings wholesome, dripping in nostalgia. Throwing a mix of The La’s There She Goes, Kojaque and The Cure into their pre-show playlist feels intentional, exemplifying the juxtaposition and wide-ranging scope they have created.

“Who the f**k is Sorry” reads the screen when the support act Sorry takes to the stage. As it turns out, the English indie-rock band had some familiar tunes, with Cigarette Packet and Starstruck hitting hard as an expectant audience poured into the venue.

The heavy bass of Romance echoes throughout the 3Arena as Fontaines D.C. make their entrance with only frontman Grian Chatten’s shadow on show. The curtain drops, Fontaines D.C. take their moment in the spotlight as the now famed ‘Romance’ album cover heart hangs in the background surrounded by celestial elements.

The 3Arena hops – literally – when Jackie Down the Line follows. Fans in standing and seated spaces alike cathartically shout ‘I will hurt you. I’ll desert you. I am Jackie Down the Line.’ This was the spirit that lingered through the show. Euphoria. Pride. Catharsis. Grian parades around the stage, taking ownership of the space and relishing in the electric atmosphere. Ebbing and flowing through their albums, Televised Mind from their sophomore album ‘A Hero’s Death’ follows.

Riling up the crowd for A Lucid Dream, Grian speaks the words as if in prayer. It feels like a true show – fans hold signs and swing their T-shirts in the air. Celestial props dangle from the backdrop while Roman Holiday works the crowd. “Everybody gets a big shot baby” reverberates through the arena. “Welcome home” Grian interjects before launching into Romance’s second last tune Death Kink. In a change of pace arrives with Sundowner – an ode to friendship – exudes shoegaze tones. “A sadness in the soul. I dreamed it long ago. But I have not belonged. To any setting sun.” sings Conor Curley, taking the lead on vocals.

Green balaclavas speckle the audience, a generation perhaps unaware of their significance clinging to the visual language of the band’s new era. Oscillating from shoegaze to post-punk, ‘Big’ follows. “My childhood was small, but I’m gonna be big” – and big they are. They deserve the stage they occupy. Hurricane Laughter tears the place asunder in the wake of a storm brewing outside. Here’s the Thing chases to a rapturous reception which is punctuated by an all encompassing chant of: “Free, free, Palestine”. A Palestine flag hangs from Carlos O’Connell’s DJ decks which sit front and centre of the stage in a statement of solidarity. “Free Palestine” retorts Grian to the crowd.

“Changed my name to ‘promise you, yeah’” is perhaps one of Fontaine’s most hard-hitting opening lines, Bug has surprisingly finding itself as the TikTok hit of the album. Catchy and creative, the tracks from ‘Romance’ hold the crowd as much as their older tunes. Slowing the pace, phone torches light up the arena for Horseness is the Whatness and power strikes of Nabokov, while the opening three chords of Boys in the Better Land prove that music doesn’t have to be complex to get your point across.

This homecoming gig for Fontaines serves to prove their love for their home country which has often been question over the years. Say what you will about the cynical Irish, this show was full of joy and pride for a band making it big from Dublin. Monaghan’s Conor Curely sports a Gurriers t-shirt and their sense of Irish pride feels wholly genuine. Upon their return to stage after a euphoric pre-encore rendition of Favourite – a ‘Romance’ heavy second half takes hold. “I feel alive, in the city that you like,” echoes through the room, In the Modern World flowing into Desire. In dedication to Dublin City, I Love You does the job of capturing the foundation from which this band was built.

The highlight of the night by far was the raucous closing track Startburster with Fontaines enrapturing the crowd like it’s a sport and they’re Olympic gold medallists. Have Fontaines D.C. reached their peak? The experimentation of ‘Romance’ flows effortlessly in a live capacity when fused with their older tracks, and what they’ll do next is anybody’s guess. For now, they’re on a high, and it’s hard to see them going anywhere but up from here.

For those who missed out on tickets or just want to relieve the euphoria, Fontaines DC will be headlining All Together Now in Curraghmore, Co. Waterford during the August Bank Holiday weekend 2025.