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A lot of bands might call themselves the “best band in the world,” but Fontaines D.C. is one of the few who can actually claim the title. Hailing from Dublin, the five-piece band bagged a trophy for Best Band In The World at the NME awards this year. But that’s not the only win Fontaines D.C. have had lately.

Their recently released post-punk album Skinty Fia went No. 1 in the UK and Ireland, and they celebrated by performing to a crowd of over 50,000 at Primavera Sound. On top of that, the group’s 2020 sophomore album A Hero’s Death was Grammy-nominated for Best Rock album and earned a nod for Best International Group at the BRITs. But despite their impressive superlative and Fontaines D.C.’s coveted nominations, vocalist Grian Chatten remains humble.

For Chatten, getting the chance to write songs for a living is far more important than any award or accolade he could ever receive. “There’s a fair few jobs that I could be doing that’d I’d be happy with, 9-5’s that I can think of,” he says over the phone just before Fontaines D.C. took the stage at the inaugural Primavera Sound LA. “I’d love to work in a bookshop. I think I’d be basically as happy as I am now as long as I could go home and write for myself.”

Chatten’s in it for the music, and Fontaines D.C.’s critical recognition is just a cherry on top. Well, most of the time it is. Their newfound fame also had a few drawbacks that came with international attention, like when the band found themselves in a highly publicized chart battle with Taylor Swift. A Hero’s Death was racing to No. 1 in the UK at the same time as Taylor Swift’s Folklore was climbing the charts, unintentionally pitting the two artists against each other. “We got death threats and all that kind of stuff,” Chatten recalls, chuckling at the memory of getting on the wrong side of Swift’s, shall we say, emboldened fanbase. “That whole world is just beyond me. I don’t really even try and understand it. One thing I would say is that they’re dedicated fans.”

But now, Fontaines D.C. find themselves, like Swift, embraced by a global fanbase. After being unable to tour much behind their 2020 Grammy-nominated release, the band has just embarked on a months-long global tour. They’ll make stops across the US, Europe, Australia, Japan, and play three sold-out shows in their Dublin hometown. Toasting the band’s massive success and lengthy tour, Chatten sat down with Uproxx to talk Ian Curtis comparisons, future plans, and how performing on stage is as close as he can get to having a “positive” panic attack.

Your last album, A Hero’s Death was nominated for Grammy and for a BRIT award when it was released. What was your reaction to hearing that you were Grammy nominated? Was that something that you ever thought would happen when you first started the band?

I don’t think so. It’s difficult for me to tell — we kind of shrouded ourselves in this blind optimism from the get-go and I don’t know to what extent that was real. I think the whole point of it was to not know how much it was real. We told ourselves at the very beginning that we were great, but we did have extreme self-doubt, like anyone does. My reaction was — I couldn’t believe it. I thought there was a mistake, you know what I mean? And it felt like this weird infiltration. I think a lot of people say that, and it’s probably a little bit self-aggrandizing to say that. It felt like we must have gotten in a back door somewhere.

And can you tell me about how you felt being nominated in the same category as artists like The Strokes?

The Strokes were huge for us as a band whe growing up. They’re kind of a good soundtrack to our friendship as well. I’m glad they won it, to be honest. I’m glad they won it because I think they deserve it, they have deserved one for years and I think it’s mad that they didn’t have one already. And I think that their last album was really, really admirable. There’s a tenacity to it. Genuinely, I really prefer them winning it to us winning it, honestly.

Speaking about your success as well, you were recently named the Best Band in the World by NME. I was wondering if you recall a certain moment — I know you said that you kind of started the band with blind optimism — but do you recall a certain moment where you really felt like you made it as a band?

I used to worry about my inability to feel or dwell on achievements. I used to think that it was a kind of shortcoming on my behalf and it was a signal of my non-presence in the moment. But now, I actually just think that it’s just kind of in my makeup to look ahead. The most important thing for me, the thing that gives me existential value, is songwriting; Songwriting and lyric writing or poetry, finding expression in words and in music. And I mean that sincerely. It takes up so much of my mental space and my heart that I don’t have time or space to look backwards on awards and titles like Best Band In The World and all that. I feel it kind of just induces fear. I don’t really want to feel ever like I’m on top of anything. I’m much more comfortable punching up.

I’m curious to hear too about how your family and your hometown have reacted to your band’s success. I’m sure that they’re pretty proud, right?

Dublin’s a bit scary for me now. I get recognized quite a bit. It can be a bit difficult to go to — a lot of my favorite spots, a lot of my favorite pubs are basically no-go areas for me now because I’ll just end up having a conversation that I’m not invested in for the whole night with someone who is being really nice but is not my friend or family. But Dublin fans are really funny because they stay slagging, they give you a hard time, which is really Irish and really funny. But if it happens a hundred times in one day, it actually can get to you.

So talking a little bit about your tour and your live shows, do you and your band have any pre-show rituals that you do together before you go out on stage?

I think the ritual happens to me, whether I like it or not. It’s in the sort of two hours before a show, I start this slow wave of anxiety and adrenaline. Energy basically comes over me and it’s kind of like the moments before vomiting, it’s like I’m almost retching with anxiety and energy. I think I’m prone to overstimulation. If too many people are moving in a room or people keep walking in and out of a room, I have to run. I get kind of overstimulated. And that’s basically the feeling that I have for an hour before the show. It’s really uncomfortable and I can’t stop moving around and touching things and picking things up and putting them down and jumping up and down.

And I’m not focused. I’ll be talking to people, but it’ll almost be like I’m blacked out. I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m not listening to them. It’s really weird. It’s just excitement, it’s nervous energy and stuff like that. Me and [Conor] Curley have to do a pretty good shot of tequila right before we go on. That’s kind of our thing.

That anxious, nervous energy, do you release it on stage or does it stay with you when you’re on stage?

I release it on stage. Like the gig is the vomit, you know what I mean? I always have a huge sense of relief, euphoria, and endorphins rushing after a show. But during the gig, my body is tense for the whole thing. My toes curl up for the whole gig and I come off stage and I realize because my feet are f*cking killing me. I think it’s almost like a positive version of an anxiety attack. It’s like, I’ve got way too much energy in my body on stage. I really enjoy gigs. Touring is really difficult, and I have a lot of problems with the rest of the mechanics of touring and stuff. But gigs are blessing for me.

You talked a little bit about how being back in Dublin can be kind of weird because you get recognized all the time, but I want to hear about what your hometown shows are like, because I know that the end of this tour has three back-to-back sold-out shows in Dublin. I can imagine that they get pretty crazy, right?

The last couple we’ve done felt like there’s been this pent-up energy. Dublin is in a really kind of strange state in terms of government and cost of living and what it’s like to be a young person there. I think there’s a lot of dissatisfaction amongst young people in Dublin at the moment, for good reason. They know that, we know it, and they know that we know it. And when we play a show in Dublin, there’s this collective expression. I feel like we’re all singing on behalf of each other for a common purpose. And that’s really, really powerful. It’s probably the most communal I’ve ever felt at a gig was our last Dublin show.

Now that you’ve played some shows in the US, is there anything that has surprised you about your American audience?

I’m really surprised about how much they connect with our songs which are based on stories of life in Dublin. To me, there’s a specificity to our lyrics that I didn’t think would translate as well as it has. And that’s been amazing to see. We played a show in Salt Lake City and I really had no idea what to expect from an audience there, with my preconceptions about what people who lived in Salt Lake City were going to be like. But it kicked off. That was amazing.

This is something that came up a lot when I was reading some of your interviews and people just writing about you. Something that I see a lot is people calling you, “This generation’s Ian Curtis,” what do you have to say to that?

Yeah, I’ve been hearing that for f*cking years. I don’t know. I feel like we’ve made so much music that isn’t similar to them at this stage. I don’t look like him, do I? People say that I do, but I don’t agree.

You don’t think he’s your celebrity lookalike?

Not really. Maybe there’s a physical movements similarity and I don’t know, but I think he was a genius. So, I’m pretty cool with that. I’m going to keep doing my own thing though.

Now that you’ve been named The Best Band In The World by NME and you’ve been nominated for Grammy, what’s your next goal for your band?

Honestly, it’s just really… I feel boring sometimes because I feel I keep answering in the same way, but it’s really just about songwriting. It’s so simple. I love songwriting and I’m really just looking forward to doing more songwriting. And that’s such an uninteresting thing to say. One thing I’m really looking forward to is collaboration. I feel strong enough in [Fontaines DC’s] identity as an artist now that I’m really open to collaboration and I’d love to write with someone else’s voice. I think I’m really limited as a vocalist. I think I’d really love to write songs for female voice.

Nice, like a songwriter for a bigger pop star or something?

Yeah, maybe. I’ve got a lot of friends who are in bands who aren’t necessarily bigger or pop stars. There’s a band called Sorry from London. Actually, do you know what? I actually want to go on the record and say I think [Asha Lorenz] is genius. And I’ve never said that word in an interview before about someone alive. I think she is a genius. I’ve heard the record that they’re putting out soon. I’ve heard the whole thing and it’s just jaw-dropping. I’d love to write with her. I think her voice is so cool as well. If she was willing, I’d love to direct that voice for one show.

Catch Fontaines D.C. on tour this fall. Skinty Fia is out now via Partisan. Get it here.

Tucker Carlson picked the wrong tattoos to insult. The Fox News host recently went on a “20-minute long rant” about John Fetterman and his tattoos, which Carlson called a “stupid little fake” costume. Naturally, Pennsylvania’s tough as nails lieutenant governor had a whole lot of words for the right-wing provocateur. In a new op-ed for NBC News, Fetterman revealed the true nature of his tattoos, and if Carlson was capable of shame, he’d be feeling pretty foolish right about now.

“So let’s talk about the tattoos that Carlson seems to be so interested in,” Fetterman writes. “I have nine dates tattooed on my right forearm. Each one is a day on which someone died violently in Braddock, Pennsylvania, while I was mayor. Gun violence and violent crime might be jokes to someone like Carlson, but they are very real to people in towns like Braddock.”

After detailing the tragic deaths memorialized on his arm, Fetterman defended his unorthodox approach to elected office and serving his constituents. Via NBC News:

My decision to mark these deaths with tattoos was inspired in part by their permanence — the fact that these people, their stories and my town will be with me forever. I get that etching art permanently onto your body isn’t how most politicians would express their connection to their communities. But I didn’t care about what anyone else thought. It felt right to me.

Of course, Fetterman also used the tattoo discussion as a chance to highlight the stark contrast between his experience serving the state of Pennsylvania, and his opponent Dr. Oz‘s glaring lack thereof.

“While he was making millions of dollars peddling miracle cures from a TV studio in Manhattan and living in a mansion on a hill in New Jersey, I was rolling up my sleeves and putting in the work to make my community safer,” Fetterman writes. “I’m the only candidate in this race who has fought violent crime and won.”

(Via NBC News)

The NFL Pro Bowl has long been considered the worst of all the major four men’s sports’ All-Star games, mainly because “taking it easy” in football yields a far worse product than doing the same in basketball, baseball, or hockey.

Football is inherently a violent game and when players main goal is to avoid injury, the result is not particularly enjoyable to watch. For years, fans and media have thrown ideas around about how to improve the Pro Bowl, and it seems the league is finally ready to make a big swing and try something new. On Monday, the NFL announced a new format for the Pro Bowl that will replace the game itself with a flag football game, while the week leading up to that will feature various other competitions (as has been the case in recent years).

The NFL cited feedback it’s gotten from players, coaches, and executives as the impetus for the changes, noting that players enjoyed the multiday element of recent Pro Bowl weeks, but that getting rid of the tackle football game and replacing it with flag football will allow them to be more competitive while removing a good bit of tackle football’s most dangerous elements — via the Associated Press.

“The feedback very directly from guys who had been in the Pro Bowl recently was to keep the construct of the week, make sure you’re having that multiday element,” NFL executive Peter O’Reilly said. “It was overwhelmingly positive both from players as well as from clubs.”

Peyton Manning’s production company will be heavily involved in helping craft the multiday event schedule, with Manning also coaching one of the flag teams. One would figure they’ll keep some of the competitions from recent years, as the Best Catch competition, in particular, has been a hit, while also creating some new elements — and maybe bringing back some old favorites. We’d love to see the old QB challenge come back in full, and with the move to flag football I hope they find a way to shine the light on the big fellas who won’t exactly get much opportunity to do much when the physical contact portion of the game is removed.

They may be operating in two different sports, but the Memphis Grizzlies just put the Atlanta Falcons to shame in the marketing game. Last month, the Falcons were lambasted for their “Rise Up” season promo video, which featured New Jersey native Rotimi singing an generic, off-brand motivational anthem for some reason. While the attempt was a promising step in the NFL’s ongoing efforts to appeal to younger fans (and, well… you know), it also showed how far the league has to go to catch up to the NBA.

Today, though, the Grizzlies showed just how much more in-touch with the zeitgeist the NBA really is with their own 2022-23 season hype video. Instead of a moderately well-known out-of-towner best recognized for his role in Power, the Grizz tapped hometown rising star GloRilla, whose breakout single “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” began and ended the “song of the summer” debate this year, to narrate their “Big Memphis” promo and show how teams can highlight the connection with their respective cities. Glo’s distinctive voice booms out over a thumping trap track, declaring, “This is our city… everything we do here is big!”

After the success of “F.N.F.,” Memphis godfather Yo Gotti signed GloRilla to his label Collective Music Group, releasing a remix of the track featuring JT of City Girls and Latto (and nixing another remix featuring Saweetie). Since then, her breakout year continued this past weekend as Cardi B joined her on the boisterous “Tomorrow 2” and ASAP Rocky brought her out during his short headlining set at Rolling Loud New York.

Whatever else happens with the Memphis Grizzlies this year, they’ve started off their season with a big win, and GloRilla is already proving herself to be the people’s champ of 2022.

Happy Outbreak Day!

OK, maybe it wasn’t the happiest of days in The Last of Us universe, considering all the death and cannibalism and Rat Kings that would soon spread across the globe. But in the real world, today is a good day. Why? Because in honor (?) of the nine-year anniversary of Outbreak Day, HBO has released the teaser trailer for The Last of Us.

Based on one of the most acclaimed video games ever (and its excellent if divisive sequel), the series follows Joel (played by Pedro Pascal), a grizzly and grieving middle-aged man, who’s tasked with escorting Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a teenager who’s immune to the deadly virus, across a post-apocalyptic United States. The teaser effectively captures the same sense of intense moodiness — and constant threat of danger — as the video game, which Pascal told GQ was the intention.

“There’s a very, very creative way of honoring what’s important and also preserving what is iconic to the experience of the video game, and also things that you wouldn’t necessarily expect. And then directions that you would expect it to go, and it might not… They’re doing some really smart things, is all I can say,” he said about the HBO series, while also comparing it to The Mandalorian. If only Baby Yoda was there to protect Joel and Ellie from the Clickers.

The Last of Us premieres on HBO in 2023.

Elton John received the National Humanities Award from US president Joe Biden, as part of the A Night When Hope And History Rhyme event, which honored frontline workers, teachers, students, and LGBTQ+ advocates, according to NME.

While Elton played a number of his big hits like “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer” at the event, it wasn’t until the end when Biden awarded him the important medal. A tribute to both Elton’s decades-long musical career and his advocacy for helping those with HIV/AIDS, receiving the Humanities medal as an apparent surprise caused the singer to cry.

Biden noted in a statement that Elton was chosen “for moving our souls with his powerful voice and one of the defining song books of all time. An enduring icon and advocate with absolute courage, who found purpose to challenge convention, shatter stigma and advance the simple truth – that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”

“I’m never flabbergasted, but I’m flabbergasted, and humbled, and honoured by this incredible award from the United States of America,” John responded. “I will treasure this so much, and will make me double my effort to make sure this disease goes away. America’s kindness to me as a musician is second to none, but in the war against AIDS and HIV is even bigger.”

Watch Elton John receive the National Humanities Award above.

Rolling Loud has become the unofficial festival home for a number of rappers who are regulars on its roster. Its most recent event in New York featured mainstays like ASAP Rocky and Future. However, there is now one Rolling Loud regular who intends to cut ties with the long-running traveling festival. 21 Savage, who was billed to perform at Rolling Loud New York this weekend but did not take the stage ahead of Future as planned, pronounced via Twitter, “Rolling Loud will never get a show out of me ever again.”

According to XXL via attendees on Twitter, other artists who were unable to perform included Big Sean and Ski Mask The Slump God. Although the festival did not officially reveal why so many sets were canceled, concertgoers complained of late arrivals throughout the weekend. According to one user, Rolling Loud organizers told fans, “Don’t be mad at us! Be mad at the artists being late.”

Rolling Loud certainly wouldn’t be the first festival affected by late artist arrivals and other logistical issues. Many festivals are still working out the kinks from COVID-19-imposed hiatuses even two years later because of the wide-reaching effects of the live entertainment shutdown. Meanwhile, those artists who did get to perform found that they were in for a bumpy ride; while Nicki Minaj and Playboi Carti impressed with special guests, ASAP Rocky had to cut his set short and found himself facing an uncomfortable mosh pit mishap.

(Warning: Spoilers for House of the Dragon ahead)

After episode six of House of the Dragon shuffled in a new round of actors, many fans wondered if they would ever see Milly Alcock and Emma Carey as Rhaenyra and Alicent beyond that first handful of episodes. Alcock and Carey led the series for the first five episodes, portraying younger versions of the childhood best friends-turned enemies. At the beginning of episode six, Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke took over the roles of their adult selves.

While this had been the plan from the beginning, it still stung to see the ladies quickly replaced, so when Variety asked showrunner Ryan Condal if they would return, he was hesitant. “I mean, look, I don’t know,” Condal admitted when asked if the previous actresses would return as Rhaenyra and Alicent. Condal then said they the two “are not a part of the story that we’re telling, yet. That’s not a thing that we’re doing right now,” but there is always a chance they return in the future.

Though there aren’t plans to bring back the younger actors, Condal says it could still happen. “There are things that we haven’t fully sorted out,” he explained. “I’m not closing the door on anything. So there, how’s that for an answer?” That seems like a pretty good compromise for now.

Even though Alcock and Carey are done for now, Condal says that choosing younger actors for the role ended up being the best move. “As great as Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke are, they were not the people that were going to begin the story. It was definitely a thing that we stressed over a lot. I think we succeeded. All four of them brought a tremendous performance to the show. I’m really proud of all of them.”

House of the Dragon’s other showrunner Miguel Spochnik exited the series abruptly ahead of season two, which Condal is currently writing. Though the season is still in its early stages, Condal confirms that there won’t be any more major time jumps in season two. “I’m excited for the story that we’re going to tell in Season 2. There are thousands of people that go into the making of this. It’s on me to be able to be a great leader and try to inspire people, hopefully with some good writing, to get the very best work out of them and make another great season of the show.”

House of the Dragon airs Sundays on HBO.

(Via Variety)

Kevin Durant had a very normal summer for an NBA star. He took some time to vacation abroad, worked out a bunch, and requested a trade the day before free agency that lingered for almost two months before taking it back and committing to move forward with the same team. All, run of the mill summer activities.

As such, Monday’s media day was business as usual for Durant, who fielded questions on his summer, the team around him, and his commitment level to the Nets after a failed trade request. KD pushed back on the idea he had anything to prove to Nets fans, saying “that’s on you” if you have any doubts to his commitment to the franchise he tried to leave this summer.

While I fully believe Durant will do what he always does on the court despite what transpired in July and August — and that’s a credit to his professionalism and competitiveness as a player — it’s a bit funny for him to say “that’s on you” when he was the catalyst for this entire saga.

It’s absolutely fair to wonder what KD’s commitment is to the franchise long-term and whether another effort to get out of Brooklyn could come next offseason, but if there’s any player who can separate a desire to leave eventually from what he’s doing on the court, it’s Durant. From that perspective, he’s right, and I’d expect nothing less than his normal, dominant self on the floor this season. What happens after this season ends, though, is anyone’s guess.

Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige nailed it with their memorable Super Bowl Halftime Show performance from earlier this year. It was just revealed over the weekend that Rihanna will be performing at the 2023 Super Bowl, so Dre offered some advice. He also reflected on what his own experience was like.

In an interview with Apple Music 1 host Ebro Darden (as Pitchfork notes), Dre explained how nerve-wracking his performance was:

“It made me extremely nervous. I don’t know if I’ve ever been that nervous before. Not only that, I don’t know if I’ve ever looked more forward to a Monday morning. So it’s the preparation and making sure you have the right people around you. All of these people came through for me, and everybody was extremely enthusiastic about the show. We had a good time, although it’s a lot of things and a lot of people you have to depend on. You’re talking about at least 3000 people that you have to depend on to get this show right for 13 minutes. So it is an extreme amount of pressure, but it’s fun at the same time. When it’s done, it’s like goosebumps, bro. I got goosebumps, especially from the reaction that we got from the show, and especially being able to do the show with all of my friends.”

Of Rihanna, he said, “I just like her and what she does, and her get down, and how she approaches her artistry and the whole nine. It’s fantastic. She has the opportunity to really blow us away. I know we set the bar extremely high.”