Fontaines DC have made a global impact with their Dopamine Chamber album (XL Recordings).
The international chart results include a highest ever placing in the US (No.14), as well as eight No.1s around the world. In the UK, Dopamine Chamber is pursuing a third week in the UK Top 10 and is well on the way to going gold (100,000 sales) after debuting at the summit with 70,105 units.
XL Recordings made a global push with the record including organising 374 Dopamine Chamber listening parties in record stores in 38 countries across the world. Fontaines DC are now on 13.8m Spotify listeners, up from one million in 2023.
Speaking in our campaign preview in the current edition of Music Week, Emma Greengrass, MD at Fontaines DC’s management, Wildlife Entertainment, said: “The band have delivered in Dopamine Chamber another album that will continue to see them reach new heights over the coming years. It’s a very exciting time for us all.”
Here, Greengrass reflects further on the incredible success of Fontaines DC over their five studio albums, as well as their ability to overcome a “setback” in their trajectory…
Fontaines DC moved to XL Recordings in 2023 after initial success with Partisan. How would you describe the relationship with XL, how have they taken them to the next level while maintaining the band’s ethos and outlook? Why was it important for them to sign with an independent again?
“The band and Wildlife have a great partnership with XL, they are keen to allow Fontaines DC to express themselves in whatever way feels right, consequently it has never been difficult to stick to their own ethos or aesthetic. XL have a great creative team and they have been instrumental in helping the band to bring their own ideas to life.
“I think whether a label is major or independent is less important. What is important is finding the right team with the right resource to match the needs of the artist.”
Fontaines DC have announced their biggest ever headline tour with stadium dates in 2027, as well as this year’s UK arena shows. What has been key to that progression in their touring?
“The band’s live show is second to none right now and that coupled with the huge amount of work they have done over the last eight-plus years and the consistently high quality of their songwriting is what has taken them to where they are now. I don’t really think there are any short cuts to get to this point. Demand for tickets has been amazing and is testament to all that hard work.”
What are the key territories at this stage, how are you helping to grow them in overseas markets, including 2027 dates in India, Japan and South America?
“Fontaines are growing exponentially in pretty much all markets right now. Both album pre-orders and ticket sales were multiple times bigger than they were around the Romance album. Since we announced the Dopamine Chamber album, the growth has been amazing to see in terms of streaming but also socials growth and engagement.
“The tour announcements are helping overseas growth and there are some markets that the band have yet to even visit such as Asia and South America, so we expect to see some encouraging results from those territories in the coming weeks and months too. I would not say we are prioritising any market over another right now, we are just trying to do the best we can with the time we have available for each one, without putting too much pressure on the band.”
Fontaines are incredibly prolific, but they never miss a beat on the quality control side of things
Emma Greengrass
Fontaines DC have been prolific on the recordings side. How has that helped them to develop as a band and reach a wider global audience hungry for new music?
“Fontaines are incredibly prolific, but they never miss a beat on the quality control side of things. There was a small blip in their development in Covid times with A Hero’s Death because the band were not able to tour that album at all, so in particular, internationally, that was a bit of a setback to their growth. But in retrospect it probably allowed them to have a much-needed break from touring and we then moved straight into the Skinty Fia campaign, and things seemed to speed up substantially from then on.
“So yes in summary, I think their ability to be so abundantly creative and to never stick to a tried and tested formula but to keep evolving creatively has helped grow and engage their audience in a relatively short space of time.”
How does this album move away from the guitar language of previous albums? In particular, what was the reason for making Rosalía their first album guest artist?
“The band release songs of a consistently high quality and the fact that the sonics of the album and the way they are played and recorded continues to evolve is testament to the band themselves, and more recently producer James Ford, helping them to keep pushing the boundaries.
“As regards Rosalía being a featured artist, there was no other reason than Fontaines being big fans of her artistry and asking her if she was up for it. It was quite a last minute addition to the album, and one that adds a cinematic and lush counterpoint to Grian’s vocal on Where Is Gone?”
Fontaines DC have been grieving the loss of their longtime manager Trevor Dietz. How did you help them to deal with that and what adjustments have been made to the management set-up to support the band?
“It has been an incredibly sad and difficult time for the band and for everyone at Wildlife and all those in the wider team. We all miss Trevor terribly, he was an incredibly passionate, and principled person who gave his all for the band and for many great causes. We are all trying our best to do him justice and make him proud by continuing what he started with Fontaines.”
Wildlife has had huge success with bands like Fontaines DC, Arctic Monkeys and Royal Blood who have managed to stream as well as they sell records. What’s been the strategy with growing Fontaines DC on DSPs at a time when that is still challenging for contemporary rock/guitar based acts?
“I would say our strategy – if we have such a thing – is to pick the artists that we work alongside very carefully, release consistently brilliant music, put on incredible shows, and support our artists to deliver these things at all times; all the while making sure that the campaigns honour the artists and their music creatively, and on a business and admin level that no detail falls through the cracks.
“Everything starts with great songs and then you need the right team to help bring that to the fans. We have a great team and we love developing artists for the long term. It’s not a speedy process but it is very rewarding.”
Subscribers can read our full Fontaines DC report here featuring Wildlife Entertainment, XL Recordings and Roam Artists.
PHOTO: Ewen Spencer
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