Grammy-nominated Irish band Fontaines DC revisit their roots in a new music video for I Was Not Born. By Team Viva
With millions of fans not having experienced live music in over a year and looking to reconnect with each other through their shared passion for it, Jim Beam Welcome Sessions is bringing iconic artists back to the independent venues that gave them their first stage to film one-of-a-kind performances. Grammy-nominated Irish band Fontaines D.C. released a new take on I Was Not Born yesterday, available exclusively via Jim Beam's official YouTube channel.
Filmed at the iconic The Lexington in Islington, North London, the music video pays homage to their roots and their shared career. Prior to critical acclaim and breaking through into the mainstream consciousness, The Lexington represented a landmark venue for the band playing some of their first gigs outside of their native Ireland in the early years following their formation in 2017. Taken from their second album, A Hero’s Death, which was nominated at the Grammy Awards 2021 for ‘Best Rock Album’, the unique re-recording of I Was Not Born brings to life the intimacy and romance of the on-stage experience. Both through sound and the style in which it is filmed, the film offers a unique take on the importance of finding a genuine connection with fans live.
Speaking on the occasion, Fontaines DC’s guitarist, Carlos O’Connell said, “We have been incredibly lucky that there’s always been ‘a buzz’ and energy around our live gigs. 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 vitally important. In its very essence, a live performance is a conversation between the band, their instruments, and the crowd in front of them. 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.”
Conor Curley who plays the keyboard for the band, in addition to strumming the guitar, added, “So often it’s a singularly unique experience you can’t replicate or imitate playing live and is so often magnified or diluted by the space you are in. As opposed to the overly controlled feeling you get in larger venues, there's a more natural, authentic feel offered to you by the smaller independent gigs. It’s refreshing to be back at The Lexington, 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.”