Fontaines DC debuted a brand new track called “Death Kink” during a recent live performance. Below you can see footage from that moment.
The moment happened when the Irish band took the stage at the 2024 edition of the Haldern Pop Festival in Germany last Friday (August 9) and played a great set.
During the performance, Grian Chatten and Co. played a number of well-known classics as well as new tracks from their highly anticipated fourth album “Romance”, which is due to be released on August 23rd via XL Recordings (pre-order/pre-save here).
The band not only ended the show with two already released singles from the upcoming album produced by James Ford: “Starburster” and “Favourite”, but also surprised their fans with the premiere of a yet unreleased track called “Death Kink”.
The performance consists of six of 16 songs and follows on from the opening tracks “Romance,” “Jackie Down The Line,” “Televised Mind,” “Roman Holiday,” and “Big Shot.” The band starts with a dark, guitar-driven intro that builds momentum until it finds its groove.
“When you came into my life, I was lost/ And you brought me that shine, at what cost?/ You recognized the smell, human pain/ Said I’d learn to love the chain“, sings Chatten, building up to the Nirvana-inspired chorus.
“It was shit, shit, shit, battered/ I caved in/ My promise was shattered/ Amazing stars from dreaming/ I made a promise and broke it.” Listen to the song below.
Although the song has not been officially released yet, it has been confirmed that it will appear on “Romance” as the penultimate song on the 11-song tracklist.
The live debut of Death Kink also came just days after the band released a new single titled “Here’s The Thing” and a horror-inspired music video to accompany it.
According to the members, “Here’s The Thing” was written just days before the frontman went into the studio to record the upcoming LP. The finished result is characterized by mechanical, mutated guitar sounds, paired with expressive electronic aspects.
Romance is out later this month and following the release, Fontaines DC will perform on the main stage at Reading & Leeds in 2024. This will be followed by their 2024 headline tour of the UK & Ireland, set to take place in November and December, which includes two nights at Alexandra Palace in the capital.
But that’s not all for their live performances, as last week the group also revealed news of a major outdoor show in London’s Finsbury Park, set to take place on Saturday 5 July 2025. It will be the Irish band’s biggest headlining gig to date, with support from Amyl And The Sniffers and Kneecap.
See below for a full list of upcoming tour dates. Remaining tickets are available here.
Fontaines DC’s upcoming headline dates in the UK and Ireland are:
NOVEMBER 2024
20 – The Halls, Wolverhampton
22 – Alexandra Palace, London
23 – Alexandra Palace, London
24 – Utilita Arena, Cardiff
26 – Pavilions, Plymouth
27 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
29 – Aviva Studios, Manchester
30 – Aviva Studios, Manchester
DECEMBER 2024
1 – Aviva Studios, Manchester
3 – First Direct Arena, Leeds
4 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
6 – 3Arena, Dublin
7 – 3Arena, Dublin
JULY 2025
5 – Finsbury Park, London
In June, Fontaines DC headlined the Park Stage at Glastonbury 2024 and Chatten also joined Kneecap on stage to perform “Better Way To Live” during the Belfast trio’s performance on the Peace Stage.
In conversation with NME At this year’s festival, bassist Conor Deegan III explained what Fontaines DC’s latest singles tell us about the upcoming “Romance.”
“They tell us who we want to be, but also where we come from,” he said. “‘Starburster’ is our attempt to move things forward, and ‘Favourite’ is our attempt to take the person we were with us.”
Guitarist Carlos O’Connell added: “For the first time, it’s an album that looks at our present with an eye on the future, you know? I think in the past we either tried to live in the past or we missed the past. Now we’re trying to understand the world we’re living in right now and trying not to think about something that’s past, but about what’s to come.”
