Fontaines D.C. Unveil "Dopamine Chamber" at a Charity Show in London's Roundhouse
Irish band Fontaines D.C. played a one-off show at London's Roundhouse (capacity 3,300) on Thursday, October 15, 2026, timed to the midnight release of their new album Dopamine Chamber. The gig was announced only a week earlier, with all net proceeds going to mental health charity CALM. The band had already partnered with the suicide-prevention organization on a branded T-shirt, and released a special-edition Dopamine Chamber CD for the same cause. The set leaned heavily on the new record but also pulled in older tracks like "Boys in the Better Land," "I Love You" and "Jackie Down the Line." According to a live report from NME, the band played 18 songs total.
"It's been a very tough year for us"
Late in the show, frontman Grian Chatten told the crowd, "It's been a very tough year for us," before launching into "Favourite," a single from 2023's Romance. The band's manager, Trevor Dietz, died this past June.
True to form, Fontaines D.C. kept stage banter minimal. Chatten repeatedly walked to the edge of the stage to rally the crowd and shouted "Free Palestine" twice to vocal support from fans; bassist Conor 'Deego' Deegan III wore a T-shirt reading "PALESTINE" in capital letters. New songs were mostly introduced with a simple "This is a new one," with only one direct mention of the album: "We're releasing a new album tomorrow."
New track "Happy for You" got its live debut at this show. "Japan" had to be restarted after a mistake, prompting Chatten to joke, "Thank you very much — next song!" Lead single "Marianne" drew a reaction on par with the band's established hits, and Chatten sat at the edge of the stage to sing "Where Is Gone?" solo, covering both his own and Rosalía's parts. The encore opened with "Six Shot Morning" (the opening track of Dopamine Chamber) and "I Love You," before guitarist Carlos O'Connell moved to keyboards and Chatten sang "In Heaven" from David Lynch's film Eraserhead, segueing into closer "Starburster."
Full setlist
- Boys in the Better Land
- Tongue
- Nabokov
- Jackie Down the Line
- Marianne
- You Miss Me
- Roman Holiday
- Bug
- One Man
- Mimesis
- Happy for You
- Big Shot
- Japan
- Favourite
- Where Is Gone?
- Six Shot Morning
- I Love You
- Starburster (opens with "In Heaven")
Album reviews and what's next
NME's Andrew Trendell gave Dopamine Chamber a five-star review, calling it "an extraordinary record for extraordinary times" and positioning the band as the biggest Irish act since U2.
The band also recorded a session for Later… With Jools Holland at London's Alexandra Palace this week, airing in November, with a shorter live version set to stream on BBC iPlayer the following week. Fontaines D.C. will next head out on an arena tour, with a run of stadium shows planned for next summer. Chatten has said the band plans to take a break once the scheduled touring wraps, and that he personally wants to work on a solo album.