), Despite the plaudits and packed venues, though, life was far from easy. Performs in concert during the Festival Internacional de Benicassim on July 18, 2019 in Benicassim, Spain. T&Cs apply. He loves the sprawling nature of the city and a part of him enjoys the sense of being an outsider. Its not unlicensed and its not impure. Grian and his long-time girlfriend got engaged in August 2019. He had this piece of music and the title, and then I wrote the lyrics more or less in one go. Image: Eimear Lynch. And for the first time in my life, family members were telling me how proud they were. In many ways, his country defines him, as a songwriter, as an artist and as a person. The multidisciplinary artist Kae Tempest has been rolling out their new album The Line Is A . The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time But rather than feel deprived of a victory lap, haunted by the ghosts of tours that never were, Chatten was offered a vital period of respite by Covid. It just turned out to be another song about Ireland, of course. Im going to have kids at some point, he says, so this is my last chance to. The debuts bracing, direct punk has been replaced by something more textured and woozy, inspired by 90s hauntologists Broadcast and the psych-country of Lee Hazlewood. 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. 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 gravestone. These days a resident of Camden, the citys most chaotic neighborhood aglow with musical history, within five minutes walk from his front door the singer is able to reach the steps of Camden Market on which the Clash stood on the cover of their first LP, the train station in front of which Madness posed for the front cover of Absolutely, and The Hawley Arms, the pub frequented by Amy Winehouse. The YouTuber posted two Instagram photos announcing the proposal: One showed the gorgeous sea and blue sky that provided a romantic backdrop for the special moment, and the other showed the engagement ring on Grian's fiance's finger. As frontman and chief lyricist of the Dublin post-punk quintet Fontaines D.C., Chatten has channelled life growing up in Ireland into his bands music, songs that take in themes of mental health, corrupt governments, religion and community. Eventually they said, Excuse me, sorry, can we get a photo with you? he recalls. Irish post-punk greats Fontaines D.C. are about a year removed from releasing last year's standout album Skinty Fia. The coffee that comes out of a big keg, like black beer. The shocking part, which Ive left to the end of the story for dramatic effect for you, is that this is two years ago. Talking about the track, Grian explains, "'The Score' is a heavyweight bated breath of lust. It doesnt jar the way it looks at all, it just fits it. King Crimson's life in music as told in a series of exclusive new interviews. These days a resident of Camden, the citys most chaotic neighborhood aglow with musical history, within five minutes walk from his front door the singer is able to reach the steps of Camden Market on which, , and The Hawley Arms, the pub frequented by, There are stranger matters, too. We could easily have written an album without having anything to say because we just love writing music. The stripped-back intimate track sees the Irish . As an Irishman living in London, Grian Chatten deals with a lot of bullshit. As cities and towns passed by in a blur of gigging, members started drinking too much and falling out. During the argument, the man would just come out onto the balcony and he would look left and right, and just take a deep gulp of air. An impressively niche musical reference will probably be name-dropped at some point (We were heavily influenced by 70s Orkney Islands psych rock this time round). Grian Chatten. At the start you do and you don't really get a sense of the anxiety or negativity to come. 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. Im sure there is. When youre a band releasing your first album you get all this attention but then there are certain things that make no sense with it, like youre completely struggling for cash throughout this massive tour. I wrote it in Madrid between an electric fan and a dying plant and I intend to keep it there. One inspiration was a charity-shop accordion that Chattens mother gave him for Christmas. Well I think anyone living on the outside of a group of people can tell that group of people something about themselves. I was living in a flat with my girlfriend [and] there was a couple across the way. The MTV classic "Voices Carry" is by 'Til Tuesday, a group fronted by Aimee Mann. Born in Cumbria, in the far north of the country, he moved to Ireland barely a month after moving out of the womb. The only other time the Dublin outfit had been here was for a KEXP live session in Seattle, but last month they played to an American crowd for the very first time in their young, but burgeoning musical career. Pink Floyd The Dark Side Of The Moon (50th Anniversary Deluxe Boxset), Live review! Im very paranoid about staying the same. All of this might sound alarming to anyone who listened to and loved Dogrel, but the charms of A Heros Death the motorik thrum of Televised Mind, the babbling psych of A Lucid Dream do eventually reveal themselves. I used to laugh about it because I didnt feel it was important with all the movements in the world going on, but these things build up. He recounts how recently, Fontaines D.C.s drummer was in a London pub and overheard someone say, Theres a lot of fucking Irish people out there today. Im trying to kind of convince my girlfriend to come out and enjoy this its like adventure, you know what I mean? For both of them, language is a living thing that constantly evolves, something to be heard, not read. In what sounds like a scene from a silent-picture comedy, Chatten ducked into a shoe shop. Funnily enough Im one of the only people that actually sings in an Irish accent from Ireland there. The suspicion with which Fontaines D.C. regard such trinkets is likely a testament to their musical worth. I was basically too bollocksed all the time and the idea of a bed started to scare me more and more, he says. Thats what that song was. ", "Achy Breaky Heart" was originally recorded in 1991 by The Marcy Brothers as "Don't Tell My Heart." But I think its really important to make sure that we do have something to say. During this time, Grian its pronounced like Ian, by the way Chatten was on Fontaines D.C.s first tour as a successful band. 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. It allows me to express myself fully. I remember we played one gig, and a [non-Irish-American] person asked if we were still all eating potatoes and riding around in carriages.. I think if you write about yourself you sound like a narcissist, he says, but if you write about yourself without meaning to, then youre really writing about other people., Many of the tracks on Skinty Fia were informed by the bands relocation to London and questions about home and belonging hang over the whole album. Just because its diaspora, its still pure. It would invalidate me.. I dont know exactly what that is; its an abstract thing, but its like somethings over ya know. Grian and Carlos' latest shared obsession is Peter Perrett, the former Only Ones mainman, who lost a large chunk of his career to heroin and crack cocaine addiction. The words basically mean in our hearts forever. Its just the heartfelt message, but the church of England itself ruled that it was at risk of being perceived as a political slogan, so they refused to allow the Irish language to exist on an Irish persons gravestone. Theres a story in the papers about a woman from Coventry in England. Do you ever think about the impact you guys are going to leave? Theres a slight level of discomfort in being Irish in this city, he says. Related Stories And for the first time in my life, family members were telling me how proud they were. Or is it more like a spouse that youre looking forward to return home to? Irish hip-hop? Everything he puts out into the world is thoroughly honest and from the heart. In it, the Irish five-piece warn fans not to expect a repeat of their acclaimed 2019 debut, Dogrel, and readily admit that its follow-up may kill the idea of the band for many. It also made us covet and idealize and grow closer to our own Irish identity as well.. Its an exaggeration of a compromise thats necessary to a functioning relationship, to the point where it sounds pathetic. Upon researching for this conversation I learned Grian was supposed to have a sort of cool, mysterious, dont give a fuck demeanor and noticed in videos of performances that he would anxiously pace back and forth on stage between powerful deliveries of his lyrics. The National are on the cover of the latest issue of Uncut, Fontaines D.C. talk uprooting and having a sense of identity on, Introducing our Quarterly Special Edition: Curated By King Crimson, Lucinda Williams: It was so satisfying to put the record straight.. I Saw Light Kae Tempest - The Line Is A Curve (LP, Album, Ltd, Ora) American Recordings, American Recordings, Fiction Records, Fiction Records. So I think that we wrote about the places within as opposed to the places without.. 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. But that's not the only win Fontaines D.C. have had lately. The fact that he and his bandmates are today part of a now centuries-old Irish diaspora can also be traced back to Great Britain; it was during the London-imposed Great Famine of 1845-52 that people in Ireland first began crossing oceans en masse in search of different lives. There will almost certainly be talk of a journey or an evolution. It feels more like an ex-lover at this point, but I think thats because weve consumed it, processed it, and then put it back out into the world creatively because weve written all these songs, weve made this album, the album is finished. It was just one of those things, he says. I dont like to talk to people after gigs, so I dont really have a desire to remain on peoples tongues after this stuff happens but I would like to leave a mark in the sense of inspiring people to get into literature and poetry because I think its very good for you. The 50 Worst Decisions in Music History ), This happened when we were spending some time in Ireland during the pandemic, Chatten says. Skinty Fia caps off a whirlwind few years for Chatten and his band. Ive moved from that country. Fontaines D.C. are one of the most thrilling guitar bands to emerge this century. The party behind him followed suit. It saved him from himself. Its a celebration of that flipping, from it being a bad thing into a positive thing. Lou Reed's 11-minute "Street Hassle" features a spoken part by Bruce Springsteen. Picture by Ellius Grace/PA. It was a classic case of follow the leader, you know? the singer says, in what might just be a joke. 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. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2023 File release of "The Score" on Discogs. Interview by Izel Villarba, find more of his work here. All rights reserved. He moved to Ireland at the grand old age of one month and if someone said that meant he wasnt truly of the Emerald Isle, Chatten would be broken. Theyre both from Dublin and theyre both very talented musicians. Theres a level of specificity and locale on the first album that we could have aped, but it would have been fraudulent and thereby useless as a piece of art, Chatten says. And the people blatantly telling him: Go home., These experiences cant help but make their way into the music of Fontaines D.C., the band Chatten fronts specifically on the bands third album, Skinty Fia, out April 22. "The songs are different because we . Something that I can lie down beside all the books and poems Ive read and all that kind of world, because thats the world I want to live in. Absolutely. Would you ever want people to tell your story like that, in the same way youre telling theirs? I wanted to make some good music and when its done, still have that enjoyment of playing guitar and listening to music every day, make sure I had that and not be embittered, he says. There is Irish hip-hop. Softly spoken and somewhat diffident over a video call from Dublin, Chatten and guitarist Carlos OConnell seem a world away from the stridency of that press release. This is not calculated stuff, and neither is it obvious. Photos byLauren Khalfayan, find more of her workhere. Nabokov If you're expecting more of the type of twisted post-punk. Then there are the jokes about the IRA, the leering men asking him to say, Top o morning! when hes just trying to have a quiet drink with his girlfriend. Ive read Joyces poetry and it just doesnt stand up to Yeats at all for me. Theres nothing about it that is exclusively Irish, apart from the accents and the vocal delivery or the stories that they tell. Fontaines D.C. first broke out with their 2019 album, Dogrel, written in their native Dublin, which earned them a spot on the Mercury Music Prize shortlist. 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. Lockdown forced him to face his problem. And part of the reason that were robbed of debate is that echo chamber, that funnelling down to the right, funnelling down to the left. 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. About this, though, Chatten shouldnt worry; poetic and poised, the ovation granted to his groups material is born from its honesty to itself, and to its authors. Im going to have kids at some point, he says, so this is my last chance to be the kid., Often are the times when he wonders how I went from writing a chord progression and expressing what its like living in Dublin to saying all these weird corporate one-liners [for American radio stations], you know? The thing about that you know, by the way, is that it does expect a response. I think a lot of them would be surprised if I told them that we have gay marriage in Ireland. As the album found its way into the UK Top 10, Fontaines quickly graduated to bigger and bigger venues, selling out the 5,000-capacity O2 Academy Brixton earlier this year. These are very American things, very much relics of American culture. A lot of the album is built upon that experience, that feeling. The Pussycat Dolls hit "Don't Cha" was written by Cee-Lo Green and Sir Mix-a-Lot. In New York when it rains and you see puddles, you see the gasoline and iridescent colors. It becomes contrived and superficial. This is at the start of the pandemic that this happened. Youre reminded that youre not where youre from on at least a weekly basis. I dont really like to get in the spotlight too often which is obviously contradictory to what I do. Its still not part of the law, its only been written into the constitution so theres still a process, but I think that engaged everyone, all the youth in Ireland politically. Cuz when you make his love you turn alone/ You see your hearts been tethered to a sinking stone., Speaking about the single in a statement, the vocalist explained: The Score is a heavyweight bated breath of lust. (modern). Methodology: The chart is compiled from dozens of blogs and playlists focusing on new alternative and indie track releases, plus YouTube and Spotify streams. 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. As Chatten speaks, there hangs behind him a framed picture of Shane MacGowan, the singer with the Pogues, who in 1988 sang about the imprisonment of six Northern Irishmen wrongly convicted of bombing a pub in Birmingham, Englands second-largest city. His name isnt Paddy, but that doesnt stop bullies from calling him that. In a sign of the kind of stupidly obliging person I can be when Im nervous, the singer decided to try on a shoe that I didnt have any intention of buying. Needless to say, by this point those he sought to escape had joined him in the store; they too were walking up and down the aisles pretending to assess footwear. It also made us covet and idealize and grow closer to our own Irish identity as well., Technically speaking, Grian Chatten is in fact English. I didnt take well to it at all, he remembers. You tend to know what to expect from the blurb that accompanies a bands new album. Funnily enough, it made me feel worse than when they were telling me to quit and get a proper job., Good for them. And I felt that I was being looked at as [being] this unusual pedigree of Irishness, which is funny because my ma is English. And the hype will, without doubt, be hyperventilatingly breathless. It made the album a little bit more Irish because we coveted that which made us different., Despite that, Chatten likes living in London. Weve done every album straight after another, and this is a new thing for us to have a break, he continued. Last month saw Chatten appear on an edition of Sleaford Mods online talk show Late Night With Jason. He's telling us this dramatic story that slowly grows as the verses go on. I dont necessarily like it but I know its good for me and its good for everyone.. Grian: his birthday, what he did before fame, his family life, fun trivia facts, popularity rankings, and more. 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. The reason I use the word embrace, trying to talk about this, is because in a sense, especially when you surround yourselves or almost insulate yourself with people who are from the same area as you in a new country most of my friends here are from Dublin as well the effect is that you begin to look for it or love it. Dublin is like a third parent to me. What about American culture stands out to you? Chatten says he views the excursion as being my last chance of really living like a young person, the point after which he can no longer justify being an irresponsible git. Out on the road, Chatten savors the lack of good food, the late nights, living in a mess I love all that. But the clock is ticking on this kind of thing. Bloomsday Praise soon followed, with the album receiving comparisons to Arctic Monkeys similarly thrilling debut, as well as appearances on end-of-year best-of lists and a Mercury prize nomination. 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,. I think if we all got caught up on what the future is without looking at the past, then were going down a very, very dark road. 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. The Irish musician has shared "The Score," his debut single under his own name.

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