It feels at times that our best-laid plans continue to be torn to shreds by the pandemic, although in between spikes of case numbers, we are seeing the intermittent return of live music in venues across the world. In the spirit of once again making us feel at home in the iconic venues that brought us together with our favourite musicians, Jim Beam continue their Welcome Sessions series today with Fontaines D.C.
The Grammy-nominated Irish band come to us from The Lexington in North London for an exclusive take on their track ‘I Was Not Born’, taken from their most recent album, 2020’s A Hero’s Death. Re-creating the magic of what it means for a band to perform in a live space, Fontaines D.C. return to the stage where they played their first-ever shows outside of Ireland back at the beginning of their career.
“It’s refreshing to be back at The Lexington,” guitarist Conor Curley reflects, “which has a particular romance that reminds us of when we started out. Memories of this place are all about the people within it. The moment when crowds fill the space and surround the stage. That feeling of belonging and never being alone that music gives us as performers and audience members.”
Bandmate Carlos O’Connell shares the sentiment, articulating: “The experience of being a live performer is a heightened one in which emotions are amplified and having that sense that you are welcome within a space among an audience who share your love for the music you are making is a vitally important thing. In its very essence, a live performance is a conversation between the band, their instruments, and the crowd in front of them.” He concludes: “You can’t manufacture that buzz. It can never be as fulfilling as creating communion with an audience that is both feeding off and providing you with the energy you need in the moment.”
The Welcome Sessions series kicked off last month with a performance by legendary UK singer-songwriter Jack Garratt, who performed his seminal track ‘Time’ at East London’s Village Underground. Watch this space for updates as the series continues with contributions from Jose Gonzalez and Wolf Alice and expands into 2022.
Check out the band’s performance of ‘I Was Not Born’ below.
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