The Fontaines frontman invites us into his front room to tell us about gratitude conquering fear, why death isn't so bad, and what went into their "neon and ridiculous" new album 'Romance'. Watch the interview here “It’s nice to have company, it gets very lonely here, you know?” Fontaines D.C.
frontman Grian Chatten smiles after inviting us into his North London flat. A crucifix here, a black skull there, the odd sacred image, a painting of Shane MacGowan and the newspaper front page of the day Elvis died on the mantlepiece – it’s exactly the space you’d imagine the young Irish indie icon kicking back in. But how would he describe the decor? “ Dr Seuss goth granny chic? I suppose, with a little touch of pretentiousness, and a fair bit of ‘Here’s who I am, here’s what I like’,” he offers, before a trademark quickfire dry rebuttal: “Actually, we put it all up for you.
I don’t even live here.” With us both still groggy from being just a couple of days past Glastonbury , Chatten plays an attentive host with the offer of toast as he stomps the floorboards where he believes ghosts await beneath. “There’s definitely something going on under there,” he says.
“We just don’t know what it is. It’s like when you check your bank balance, or you don’t, because you’re afraid of what’s in there.” NME at home with Fontaines D.
C.’s Grian Chatten. Credit: NME/Still Spectres aside, embracing the unknown and running with it is what shaped Fontai.