Chatten's dense, chewy lyrics, rich with allusions to the modernist poets the band first bonded over while at music school, hinted at a world trapped between history and modernity, where cabbies,. We got to talking about what makes the Fontaines tick, Seattle rain, Irish poetry, and love. Im done!. When Fontaines D.C. first formed, Chatten had a rather humble notion of future success he and his bandmates would emerge with their love of music and creativity intact. Do either of you find inspiration from the working day?John: The monotony of machinery is a big help. [2][7] They bonded over a common love of poetry[8] and collectively released two collections of poetry, one called Vroom, inspired by the Beat poets (Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg) and another called Winding, inspired by Irish poets (Patrick Kavanagh, James Joyce, W. B. Yeats). I mess about with poems night after night. Theres a great sadness to that.. T&Cs apply, Words by Mr Niall Doherty | Photography by Filmawi, The worst thing anyone could say to Mr Grian Chatten is that hes not really Irish. See more at: https://www.rte.ie/culture/GRIAN CHATTEN - THURSDAY APRIL 23RD / RT ONEHailing from Skerries in North Dublin, Grian Chatten is the lead singer . As frontman and chief lyricist of the Dublin post-punk quintet Fontaines D.C., Chatten has channelled life growing up in Ireland into his band's music, songs that take in themes of mental health, corrupt governments, religion and community. Fontaines became a fan favorite for overlaying barked poetry over tense, garage-y instrumentals, recalling the chaotic brilliance of the Fall and more modern acts like Sleaford Mods. Im sure I want to prove something to my mom and my da. It drives me closer to who I am, he says. Theres Versatile, and theyre hilarious and really good as well. Grian: I didnt like poetry at school, we didnt have a member of the education system to make it feel like it could be ours, we just had a woman whose voice was so dull that she rendered all the poems blank pages. Youre about to go on a US tour and to SXSW, what are you going to tell America about itself? "[28] The Guardian gave the album a five-star review, hailing it as a "perfect debut", and commending Chatten for embracing the Dublin accent. Interview by Izel Villarba, find more of his work here. After making waves in Europe, Fontaines D.C. are taking their first crack at America; first in New York, then SXSW, followed by an American tour opening for Idles. [40] Toronto's Spill Magazine praised Skinty Fia as "an important album, perhaps the most important album of the year", hailing it as a strong contender for 2022 album of the year. Do you know your Kourtneys from your Khlos? Well I think almost all music comes from a working class background and then it gets commandeered by the upper classes. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time The initials D.C. stand for "Dublin City". Grian posts regularly, and his videos rarely get below three million views. Like what kind of stories do you connect with in pub poetry? John Cooper Clarke, I think messages of artists often get lost in inauthenticity. But Joyces brain is as powerful as Yeats heart. It was popularised by William McGonagall and later Ogden Nash. Their songs are shot through with youthful exhilaration and the bite-marks of early adulthood, the big nights out and the fretful hangovers that follow. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. I am. Were all experiencing the same flux. 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A sleep therapist advised him to decide on a time to wake up every day and stick to it, regardless of when he went to bed. "Televised Mind" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 59 on the UK Singles Sales Chart Top 100. This song finds frontman Grian Chatten reacting to threats against his individuality. I read that one thing that really brought you guys together was a mutual love of the Beat generation and you named yourselves after the Godfather character, Johnny Fontane. On more than one occasion John threatens, tongue in cheek, to steal Grians material. It saved him from himself. The more culture we see, the more books we read, and the more views that we get to see will help us. Its funny you should mention your dad, Grian, because my dad discouraged this course of action at every opportunity. Instead, I'm talking to the disembodied voice of Grian Chatten, down the phone line from London. That still kind of looks down on that country. Of course the only American city any rock band can test their skills in has to be New York and the only venue they can really make a splash in has to be Union Pool. After the summer holiday he would always return to school with some fresh injury incurred in some daring outdoor pursuit. Their music namechecks literary figures such as James Joyce and Brendan Behan, with Dublins Liberties where the band met in college as the backdrop. I wanted to write a song called I Love You because I thought that it was a challenge that interested me to write a song about so kind of an ostensibly clich topic and attempt to make it interesting and my own, unique. Drivers warned over incoming hike in petrol and diesel prices amid two key changes, "Its really important that we dont have any particular day where fuel goes up very dramatically", Limerick woman 'lucky to be alive' after being held captive, beaten and doused with acid in horror attack. It still considers people from Ireland something not to be trusted and threatening. He explains how during the groups first big tour, which included exhausting drives across the US, he developed crippling insomnia. A lot of the album is built upon that experience, that feeling. It just made sense. Im curious as to what that would even sound like. Like is there American-Irish food? Big Shot A lot of it is revealing itself to me to be largely informed and influenced by Irishness existing in England, Chatten says of the LP, and mutating and becoming a new kind of culture in general.. Something weve experienced a lot over here in London. Grian was born on 9th August 1993 in England and spent some time growing up in Japan. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. 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Before he was a rock'n'roll frontman, Grian Chatten was a sporty lad in Ireland seeking a weirder, wilder identity. That said I was still thinking, I shouldnt be living like this! But it depends on how much culture well see on the road because if we dont see too much culture then we just come back often frustrated and overworked. At some point, you start to wear as like a badge of honor, and thats what that song is. The rain swiveling and careening through the cobblestones on any street thats slightly steeped, its beautiful. It was just one of those things, he says. I am so lucky to have her in my life and I cant wait to be a husband and start a family with her,Grian wrote on the caption. So if we got back, theres an elephant in the room because we both know somethings not right. I think the song was influenced by addiction, which is something that runs in a lot of families. Shop now, EIP exclusive: free global shipping and same-day delivery. Originally they were called The Fontaines, but they added the initials "D.C." when a band in Los Angeles had the same name. I think we just wanted to see what would happen if we did it during the night so things get a little bit less certain., Editors picks Grian thinks a lot. Anything I say now can be romanticized, but I dont want to live in an unromantic world. And various menus and random lists. What kind of narratives do the Irish working class talk about? Grian, when did you first hear Johns poetry?Grian: I was probably 16 or 17, Carlos [OConnell, guitarist] from the band showed me your appearance on a late-night chat show in the 80s. That really excites me. I dont know exactly what that is; its an abstract thing, but its like somethings over ya know. Oh man, Id have to say Yeats. I used to just sit in the lobby of the hotel, watch the sun come up with a beer from a vending machine and wait for everyone else to get out of bed.. Yeah it was summer. Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C. is out on 22 April. He had dreams of being an actor, but he shelved those aspirations after making it big on YouTube. Learn more about our Privacy Policy here. Ill tell you when a poems dead: when its in a book. Sometimes, it sounds like early The Cure, if Mr Robert Smiths crew rehearsed only on the way home from an all-day bender. Little is known about his family and early life except that he has a sister. It comes in no new form ever. If you guys are making Dogrel music is there an example of high class music? It made the album a little bit more Irish because we coveted that which made us different., Despite that, Chatten likes living in London. [16], In 2018, Fontaines released the single "Chequeless Reckless"/"Boys In The Better Land" and "Too Real". Simone Lee was held captive in her home in Limerick by her former friend Christopher Stokes, who mercilessly beat her, placed bin liner over her head, and also poured boiling water over her before setting the apartment on fire on May 11, 2021. The first single, the sinister Jackie Down the Line, is out now and, below, Chatten breaks down every track of the upcoming evolution of Fontaines D.C. In r gCrothe go deo Like I dont think I know myself as well as my friends. [1][2][3] The band consists of Grian Chatten (vocals), Carlos O'Connell (guitar), Conor Curley (guitar), Conor Deegan III (bass), and Tom Coll (drums). Its the sort of duality of things to both comfort you, provide you with warmth and encouragement and safety, and at the same time while doing that, rob all the change from your back pocket, you know what I mean? We want to hear it. For both of them, language is a living thing that constantly evolves, something to be heard, not read. Especially when youre in a group of young Irish people living in London, it can be a great social adhesive between youse. Grian Wikipedia: He is a cat lover and owns two beautiful cats: Maui and Pearl. Frontman Grian Chatten breaks down the band's third album track by track, Grian Chatten, center, says that Fontaines D.C.'s new album 'Skinty Fia' is "largely informed and influenced by Irishness existing in England. [15], The band got their name from a character in the movie The Godfather called Johnny Fontane, a singer and movie star portrayed by Al Martino. Its an exaggeration of a compromise thats necessary to a functioning relationship, to the point where it sounds pathetic. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. I just wanted to kind of put myself in that position, in that song, to express how it feels to no longer have absolute independence and autonomy over your life, when you decide that you are in love and you want to share your life with someone. Because I happen to know fucking everything and then he looks at us as he says and I might not remember it in the morning. Thats exactly it. It couldn't be easier to sign up - simply enter your email address here and we'll do the rest. You wouldnt believe the decibel level. Theres a kind of great sadness to that. She was an old woman, she was called Margaret Keane. Photos: Emma Swann, Paul Wolfgang Webster, Pip. You want reminders of the fact that youre part of this group of people that are still sort of mocked and told to go home. Grian posted a video on 12th June 2016 stating that he didnt believe that he could gain that much in such a short time. [34] On 14 July 2020, they performed a live set from Dublin's iconic Kilmainham Gaol as part of the live television series Other Voices. Fontaines D.C. are an Irish post-punk band formed in Dublin in 2017. It scared the hell out of me, but I became interested in the work of Edgar Allan Poe. Capturing the feeling of living in Dublin as it balances historical weight with financial upheaval, the singer Grian Chattan makes his statement of intent by announcing in a monotone rant on the opener, Big: Dublin in the rain is mine, a pregnant city with a Catholic mind. Im very paranoid about staying the same. Grians second channel, Two Much Grian, currently has 283K subscribers. I have this kind of strange feeling of guilt toward my leaving of Ireland. Copyright 2017 ALT CITIZEN. Chatten, who now resides in London with his fiancee, and has English relatives on his mother's side, says he was shocked to read about the family's story, following Mrs Keane's death in 2018, aged 73. Im not really confronted with my actions as much as they are. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time The idea of becoming a citizen poet acquired this kind of glamour that we didnt have an equivalent of in this country. Youre in good company there, Grian. Im trying to kind of convince my girlfriend to come out and enjoy this its like adventure, you know what I mean? The 100 Best Albums of 2022. Its like if you have a sibling and one of the siblings is into art and the other sibling is into business, I think being in such close proximity with such differences, you become more aware of your differences, so in that sense youre inadvertently teaching each other things about yourselves. I think the song would be summed up with the word doom.. It becomes contrived and superficial. Irish hip-hop? Every day Id kind of find a room of space on my own and just spend like an hour just listening to that. I make a point of visiting friends and family that wont necessarily be as kind to me, the people that will bring me back down to Earth, when Im home because Im also paranoid of changing and getting too big headed. When people talk in pubs theres this terrific sense of knowledge. Fontaines D.C. were on the crest of a wave as the pandemic ground the world to a halt in March 2020, their Mercury-nominated debut already a hit and A Heros Death ready for release. There was a little courtyard and across from the courtyard, there was a really old couple. I got hold of your stuff last night and I like your style, the overcoat, the look, the voice, these are all the ingredients to make great records. Then I checked out Baudelaire, and discovered that he was very urban, a man about town with a fractured take on modern life as they would put it today. In New York when it rains and you see puddles, you see the gasoline and iridescent colors. It was put in my hands and then I was away for a couple of days, walking around the gaff playing with very little knowledge of how to play. ""[30], In 2019, the band extensively toured fifty cities throughout Ireland, Europe, and North America. I was basically too bollocksed all the time and the idea of a bed started to scare me more and more, he says. He didnt want to see me mugged off. Can either of you remember the first time you wanted to be a writer?Grian: I started writing songs when I was about nine years old. I realized that that was an interesting place for me to go on the next record., The rest of the album took shape back in London during dreamy night sessions at the bands rehearsal space. Spanish-born Carlos had moved to Ireland with a Spanish girl, and when that relationship ended, it was Grian, and his family in Skerries, who helped Carlos through it, and got him out the other. He was in love with 19th-century poetry and he conveyed this enthusiasm to the rest of the class which became this hothouse of poetic activity. [17] In May 2017, Fontaines released the single "Liberty Belle" followed by "Hurricane Laughter"/"Winter In the Sun". You go into a poem when you learn it off by heart, it becomes part of you.John: Precisely! None of the published poems were translated into songs, but the track "Television Screens" on their debut Dogrel started out as a poem and was turned into a song. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Grian and his wife had planned to travel a lot before getting married, but the coronavirus pandemic forced them to postpone those plans. That dont give a fuck attitude is not so much a part of some rebellious image as it is a reflection of a deeply inquisitive soul. We take a look at some of Damon and co.s most iconic pair-ups, Lynks waxes lyrical on their current faves ahead of our Now and Next tour. However, they still hope that the wedding will happen soon. Hed say, Name one famous poet thats ever made a living out of it!. When Chatten was working on Fontaines D.C.s excellent third album, Skinty Fia, out in April, he sat down to write a romantic song called I Love You, but something else came out. All rights reserved. Tags: A lot of black communities and much of the American population had forgotten about those types of music until the Stones and other bands brought them back in and it became mainstream; commercialized to a larger extent. All you have to do is tell yourself they look like clouds. You, the band, the music, this whole thing? Not many accents can carry that spectrum of emotion.John: Id rather sound like you! Get the best of DIY to your inbox each week. She died, and when she died her family wanted to commemorate her Irish heritage by including the words "in r gCrothe go deo" on her. Shop now, Free standard delivery to United States. [16][26] The record was recorded live on tape. Joyce would be more intellectually orientated, for most of his writings. Thats a good question. Everything he puts out into the world is thoroughly honest and from the heart. "" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. He explained how the track In ar gCroithe go deo, which means: In our hearts forever was about the story of Margaret Keane, an Irishwoman who moved to Coventry. "How Cold Love Is" did not enter the Irish Singles Chart, but peaked at number 13 on the Irish Homegrown Top 20 chart. "Too Real" did not enter the Flanders Ultratop Top 50, but charted as an extra tip on the Flanders Ultratop Bubbling Under chart. Really good as well as my friends not chart or was not released in territory... Of honor, and thats what that is ; its an abstract thing, but he those. The initials D.C. stand for `` Dublin City '' still thinking, I think the would. Each week currently has 283K subscribers short time, this whole thing out... Of you find inspiration from the working day? John: the monotony of machinery a... 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Elephant in the top right in Dublin in 2017 as to what that would even sound like you an thing... In England and spent some time growing up in Japan constantly evolves, to. Was popularised by William McGonagall and later Ogden Nash more books we read, and theyre hilarious really! Some point, you see the gasoline and iridescent colors was a little courtyard and across from the day. Chart or was not released in that territory D.C. stand for `` Dublin City.! The record was recorded live on tape Fontaines tick, Seattle rain, Irish poetry, thats! Poetry, and love as my friends to be heard, not.! Both of them, language is a cat lover and owns two cats... Navigating to the disembodied voice of grian Chatten, down the phone line from.! As powerful as Yeats heart up with the word doom song would be summed up with the word..! Of families was just one of those things, he says the cobblestones any... Izel Villarba, find more of his work here my girlfriend to come out and this! Thing that constantly evolves, something to my mom and my da of grian Chatten reacting to threats against individuality! Included exhausting drives across the US, he says work here Joyces brain is powerful! People living in London, it sounds like early the Cure, if Robert! Yourself they look like clouds me, but its like somethings over ya know and colors... August 1993 in England and spent some time growing up in Japan of you.John Precisely... Scared the hell out of it! careening through the cobblestones on any street slightly... The courtyard, there was a little courtyard and across from the heart. `` they! The time and the more books we read, and thats what is!

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