Not since the early days of the Arctic Monkeys has the excitement around a band reached such a fever pitch the way it has with Dublin rockers Fontaines DC, with them changing the course of popular music seemingly overnight. It’s no over exaggeration to say that groups such as: Sports Team, Wet Leg and Courting wouldn’t be having the success they are without the ground-breaking brilliance of Fontaines DC.

And on Tuesday, 8^th November they brought their near sold-out UK and Ireland tour to Leeds’ O2 Academy.

Support from the evening came from the brilliant Wunderhorse, who’s mix of shoegaze, grunge and indie set the crowd up brilliantly, leaving the packed-out venue blood thirsty for the main-event.

Opening up the set was, ‘Televised Mind’ with the haunting and intense bass lines echoing on the walls of the venue as frontman, Grian Chatten, stalks the stage with an Ian Curtis like intensity. The crowd were in full voice, arms aloft and belting out every word. It became clear that, as a frontman, Chatten is on a different level. His voice brooding and intense but also holding a melancholy and a sadness to it, it was impossible to take your eyes off of him.

‘In ár gCroíthe go deo’ and, ‘Sha Sha Sha’ soon roared into life, with these stirring up the atmosphere inside the venue to a fever pitch. As the guitars screamed through the speakers it was clear that this was not your standard show, with the intensity and charisma oozing off the stage and infecting the crowd.

As the set progressed the crowd came unglued for, ‘Too Real’, with a steady flow of audience members flying over the barrier from the tracks start to conclusion. The crowd were in such a strong voice that it was almost impossible to hear Chatten over the passion coming from the sold-out floor.

‘Jackie Down the Line’, ‘A Hero’s Death’ and, ‘Roman Holiday’ closed out the main portion of the set, a relentless onslaught of post-punk brilliance. ‘Jackie Down the Line’ was in a league of its own, from the opening bars the crowd became unglued. Plastic cups, jackets and people went sailing through the air in a pure moment of ecstasy.

As the band came on for the encore they tore the house down with a break-neck rendition of, ‘Boys in the Better Land’, racing through the track with such reckless abandon that it was almost disorientating. The drums pounded, the guitars fired into action and Chatten roared the lyrics at 100 miles per hour.

The highlight of the night came with the closing track, the stand out from, ‘Skinty Fia’, ‘I Love You’. Although haunting on record, in the live setting there was a sense of optimism about it, a cathartic bearing of the soul. Confetti streamed from the ceiling as the track reached its climax, every single member of the audience, arms aloft, screaming every word, desperate to revel in the closing stages of this captivating show.

Fontaines DC are a band on the accent to stratospheric heights. The charisma and intensity that oozes from every pore of the band is infectious, with even the new tracks being received as if they were much loved classics. Their live show is impeccable and it is impossible not to find yourself swept up in the whirlwind that is the rise of Fontaines DC.