Bryan Torres: Fontaines D.C. came and played at the Regent Theater in May of 2022. I was always of fan of their music, but did not expect their performance to be so explosive. As they came out, I was expecting them to just perform and listen without any commotion since their music is more on the slow or less aggressive side.

As soon as they came out Grian Chatten came ready to put on a show as he swayed around the stage, holding the mic stand and singing all his songs with power and a sense of poise that Ian Curtis gave back in the '80s. He had this way of him that made me jealous of how good he was as a front man. It made me realized that even slow songs can come with a punch and that songs do not have to be played the same as the record.

His movements, his connection with the crowd and the unison his band had that night really push me to mold the boys we have now to be more as one. From beginning to end my eyes were glued to the stage and that’s when I knew this was the first time I felt a true connection with a band and the best gig I ever did see.

The Skinty Fia album is an explosion of emotions, sadness and a true love to their culture with poetic lines. Heavy, melodic with a strong monotone voice presence that entrances you as if telling a story from beginning to end. An album that showed me maturity comes with time and an inspiration to be more lyrical than just your typical anthemic songs.