Liam Gallagher has never been shy about sharing his opinions, but his latest dismissal of Fontaines D.C. feels particularly out of touch. The Oasis frontman recently declared that the Dublin-formed quintet are “not good enough” to support his band on the upcoming Live ’27 Tour, adding that they “don’t have any tunes.”
With all due respect to Gallagher—whose X bio describes him as a “Godlike rasta icon legend biblical omnipresent prophet”—this take is as misguided as it is predictable. Fontaines D.C. are not just good enough; they are arguably the most compelling rock band working in Europe today.
A five-album run without a weak link
Since their 2019 debut Dogrel, Grian Chatten and his bandmates have released five albums in eight years, each one building on the last. Their 2022 record Skinty Fia felt like a peak, but then came 2024’s Romance, which we hailed as a consecration and proof that they are one of the most consistently exciting modern bands around. Now, with Dopamine Chamber, released last Friday, they have done it again.
The new album is a doomy, cinematic affair that nods to Depeche Mode and The Cure without ever sounding derivative. Tracks like Marianne and Mimesis pulse with synth-driven urgency, while Happy For You and You Miss Me channel Robert Smith’s guitar sensibility. Yet the record remains unmistakably Fontaines D.C., anchored by Chatten’s spellbinding lyricism and his invitation to find strength in confronting darkness rather than retreating into blind optimism.
This is a band that refuses to rest on its laurels. Their live shows have been equally fearless—recently, they have used their platform to speak out on issues they believe in, a stark contrast to the saccharine nostalgia that defines much of the current touring circuit.
Oasis: nostalgia over new music
No one denies Oasis’s place in Britpop history. Definitely Maybe and (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? are era-defining records. But the band hasn’t released a cohesive album since 1998’s The Masterplan, and their last studio effort, 2008’s Dig Out Your Soul, was a disappointment. The Live ’27 Tour—expanded to 42 dates across Europe after the success of last year’s reunion—is purely a nostalgia exercise, and there are no plans to record new material.
Gallagher’s comments may stem from a 2024 interview in which Fontaines guitarist Carlos O’Connell said he “couldn’t give a shit” about the Oasis reunion, with bassist Conor Deegan III adding that he wasn’t excited either, lamenting that “we get caught in the last era… into such a nostalgic thing that we’re forgetting to make new things.” Gallagher responded with characteristic venom: “Fuck them little spunkbubbles I’ve seen better dressed ROADIES.”
That petulance says more about Gallagher than it does about Fontaines D.C. The Irish band are not relying on past glories; they are pushing forward, and Dopamine Chamber is proof. It is an astonishing effort, not far from masterpiece status, and it makes a mockery of the claim that they lack tunes.
As the Oasis tour drives travel searches across European cities, it’s worth remembering that the band’s appeal is rooted in memory. Fontaines D.C., by contrast, are building something new. If Gallagher took the time to actually listen to their records, he might find that the “spunkbubbles” are the future—and that Oasis would be lucky to have them as an opening act.
