Fontaines DC takeover the Hydro in Glasgow
- Louise Young
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
By December, it felt like Fontaines D.C. had fully stepped into something bigger. But walking into the OVO Hydro that night, you could tell straight away this wasn’t just another tour stop, it felt like an event.
I didn't even have a ticket until the last minute. I wasn't able to get a ticket at the time the sale was happening and the show quickly sold out. It wasn't until I was dropping some friends off before the gig, that I found one on reseal just hours before Fontaines was due to come on stage. I don't think i have ever gotten ready so fast in my life, but there was no way I was missing this gig, especially now that I had managed to get a ticket. For me, this just made the experience even more memorable, as i was so close to missing out on what was one of my favourite nights ever.
Even before they came on, there was this constant buzz around the place. The standing section filled up early, people already pushing forward, already restless. You could feel it building properly. The kind of anticipation where everyone knows exactly what’s coming and just wants it to start. And when it finally did, it didn’t ease in, it hit all at once.
My group of friend had managed to snag a spot near the front despite arriving after the support acts had finished. That just made it all the more exciting. We were right there, in the main pit of action. Able to see the band up close, and jump around with the most eager fans.
They opened with 'Romance', hidden behind a curtain that dropped mid-song, and from that moment the whole place just locked in. The atmosphere went from tense to explosive instantly, and it never really came back down.
The moment the curtain dropped, instant chaos. I remember getting drenched in drinks that were flying everywhere as the crowd started to move instantly. I didn't pay that any mind though, to into the moment, feeling the excitement for a gig that had just kicked off.
What stood out most was the crowd. It wasn’t just loud, it was constant. From early on, people were already singing every word back, turning songs like 'Jackie Down The Line' from their 'Skinty Fia' album and 'Televised Mind' from their 'A Hero's Death' album into massive, shared moments. There were mosh pits opening up within minutes, waves of movement spreading through the standing section, people swaying, jumping, shouting, never still for long.
And somehow, it kept building. When the bigger songs started landing; 'Roman Holiday', 'Big', 'Boys in the Better Land', he Hydro felt completely taken over. Entire sections of the crowd moved together, voices getting louder with every chorus. It wasn’t just watching a band at that point, it felt like being part of something that had its own momentum.
There’s something about Fontaines D.C. live that isn’t overly flashy, but still completely gripping. Grian Chatten doesn’t need to do much to hold the room, there’s this intensity to him that pulls everything in. During 'I Love You', that intensity really peaked, the whole arena shouting the lyrics back in a way that felt almost overwhelming.
From start to finish, we were shoved around but we didn't mind, it added to the fun and heightened the overall experience to us. There was nothing else to care about in that moment expect the music and Fontaines DC radiating pure energy from the stage. The crowd was unbeatable, the energy was radian, we were loud, it just added to the already amazing moment we were experiencing.
By the time they reached the end, with 'Starburster' closing things out, it felt like the release of everything that had been building all night. Loud, messy, emotional, exactly what you’d want from a show like this. This song seemed to send a new wave of energy through the crowd. Like we knew it was the last few moments of such an anticipated gig, and we didn't want to waste it. We certainly didn't. The crowd grew rowdier if possible, people grabbing onto strangers and singing with them. We had lost some friends at the start of the gig when the mosh-pits first opened during 'Romance' but it was here, during the last song, we somehow all met up again, savouring the last moments of a concert we had been speaking on for months.
It wasn’t just a gig, it felt like one of those nights where you realise how big they’ve actually become. And more than anything, it felt like they were exactly where they’re supposed to be.
Fontaines DC hydro setlist: https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/fontaines-d-c-hydro/pl.u-leyINZRhjVmjDab
Similar artists and song: https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/similar-to-fontaines-dc/pl.u-BNA6yBWt1Vx1NkL
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