Fontaines D.C. are set to make their live return with three shows in Spain this summer, ahead of their headline slots at Reading & Leeds 2026. Find all the details below.
Read More: Fontaines D.C. live in London: surreal, powerful statement from future Glasto headliners
The Dublin band haven’t performed live since last August, when they rounded off their ‘Romance’ era. They also played a massive gig in London’s Finsbury Park as part of that tour.
Today (Friday May 22), Grian Chatten and co. have announced a trio of dates in Cádiz, Alicante and Pamplona, bringing their almost year-long hiatus to an end.
“Spain. We are playing a few shows this August and can’t wait to return to a place that has always felt special to us,” Fontaines wrote on social media.
Tickets go on general sale at 10am BST/11am CEST next Friday (May 29) – you’ll be able to buy yours here. Alternatively, fans can access a pre-sale at the same time on Wednesday (27) by signing up here.
Fontaines D.C.’s headline shows in Spain are:
AUGUST
08 – Baluarte de la Candelaria, Cádiz
11 – El Muelle Live, Alicante
13 – Ciudadela de Pamplona, Pamplona
The new dates will see Fontaines D.C. warm up for their debut bill-topping appearances at this year’s Reading & Leeds on the August Bank Holiday Weekend. They are headlining the 2026 edition of the festival alongside Charli XCX, Florence + The Machine, Dave and more.
Their summer calendar also includes a top slot at Electric Picnic in Ireland, as well as some European and US festivals such as Frequency, La Route du Rock and Shaky Knees.
In January, guitarist Carlos O’Connell told NME about progress on new Fontaines D.C. material. “We’ve been writing, it’s been fun,” he explained. “We’re at [Reading & Leeds] and there are a couple of shows before that. I think if the music is there, it could get busy.”
When asked if any new tunes could make their way onto the R&L setlists, O’Connell replied: “I’d say so. If there is stuff written, then I would say so, yeah. That’s what we used to do all the time, play the new stuff live – songs that weren’t even finished. It’s a good way to test the songs.”
Fontaines D.C. live at Reading 2024. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
O’Connell was questioned on whether any of the visual elements of the ‘Romance’ tour could remain for Fontaines’ 2026 dates, too. “I think ‘Romance’ was so intense in every [way]… the visual, the production, the setlist… It wasn’t just about the music,” he told NME.
“It’s almost a bit of the identity of the band now, but I guess that’s the decision to make. Does that become the identity of the band, or actually, it’s just a phase and you reinvent it? I don’t know.”
O’Connell continued: “I personally like the idea of revisiting some old stuff at Reading & Leeds, making the setlist maybe a bit more ‘Dogrel’-heavy. I’m excited about that. I’ve been listening to music like that much more. This morning I was listening to Sonic Youth. I want to go [in] that direction, but we’ll see, because anything could happen now – literally anything.”
Last October, bassist Conor ‘Deego’ Deegan III told NME that Fontaines had been working on “little bits of ideas individually”. When asked what had been influencing him, he said: “Recently, I’ve been really getting into UK hardcore.”
Since dropping the Mercury-nominated ‘Romance’, Fontaines have shared the standalone single ‘It’s Amazing To Be Young’ from a deluxe edition of the album. More recently, they’ve contributed to the star-studded ‘Help(2)’ charity record and worked on the soundtrack to Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Earlier this year, Cillian Murphy and Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten explained Nick Cave‘s new version of ‘Red Right Hand’ for the film. Murphy, who plays Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders, previously described himself as a “massive fan” and “just a groupie” of the Irish band.
‘Romance’ landed at Number Two on NME‘s 50 best albums of 2024 list, behind Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’.
The post Fontaines D.C. to make live comeback with shows in Spain ahead of summer 2026 festival tour appeared first on NME.
