A generation have found their band and their voice

Gig Review | Fontaines D.C. at Wythenshawe Park

A memorable evening in Wythenshawe in what felt like a pivotal moment in the history of music in the UK.

Author | Josh T

By the time Fontaines arrived on stage, the crowd was in a frenzy. The band seemingly carried that energy and passion, and turned it into a complete celebration. Let’s have a closer look at a sensational almost six hours of live music.

The first two support bands

An energetic set from The Murder Capital was followed by The English Teacher. The Indie band from across Leeds and Lancashire belted out a range of songs to a crowd that was getting into the spirit of things. Their popular ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’ went down a treat and is clearly becoming their anthem.

Onwards to Kneecap

Now, many have deemed this band controversial, but we won’t. The complete over exaggeration to their Glastonbury set perhaps shows how devoid the music scene has been of anything remotely political. The messages throughout their set were nothing out of the ordinary for a punk band.

Now, the band themselves are anything out of the ordinary. Much like their Glastonbury set, it was another energetic set, and the crowd were loving it. This was a group that looked very much at home in these surroundings, and it won’t be long (probably twelve months) until they’re headlining their own massive outdoor gig.

Now for the headline act

If this summer has shown anything, with reunions and returns (Oasis) grabbing the headlines, it is that guitar music is not only a story of nostalgia. Fontaines D.C. have brought urgency and freshness to the stage, proof that the genre still has new ground to break. To witness it on such a scale is genuinely thrilling, and the band is carrying a new generation with them, watching that movement unfold before their eyes.

What stands out from the start is the emotional pull Fontaines D.C. create. Friends cling to each other as they sing, couples share fleeting kisses, and strangers exchange embraces. These small, intimate moments feed into a wider sense of belonging, as if tens of thousands of people are bound together by the same thread. The band tears through song after song with barely a pause for words, though none are needed amid the constant calls for more.

The highlights of the set were the very bouncy ‘Boys in the Better Land’, which feels like it could have been a staple in the Indie rock clubs of Manchester’s past. Then there was ‘Favourite’, which again has that emotional mass sing-along that we all love.

Throughout the set, the band's raw, unfiltered energy certainly contributed to a charged atmosphere that felt like it was full of love and rebellion. It was also, for the most part, a fairly young crowd. It feels like, in these politically charged times, a generation has found its voice. Fontaines DC (and Kneecap) are the bands of 2025. They’ll be the ones we speak about in 20/30/40 years to our children and grandchildren. What a memorable night.