Watch Fontaines D.C. Recreate Their “Jackie Down The Line” In A Strange, Theatrical Fallon Performance
A couple of days ago, the ascendant, prolific Irish rock band Fontaines D.C. announced the impending release of Skinty Fia, their third album in three years. With that announcement, the band also dropped the video for their new single “Jackie Down The Line.” It’s full of impish figures in red dunce caps — goblins, maybe? I assume this whole thing is a reference to some Celtic myth that I don’t recognize or some folk-horror film that I haven’t seen, but Fontaines are still running with it. Last night, the band gave a remote performance of “Jackie Down The Line” for The Tonight Show, and those goblins were back again.
International travel is still a dicey proposition for most of us, so it makes sense that Fontaines D.C. did not play in the Fallon studio. Instead, the band shot their “Jackie Down The Line” performance in what appears to be an empty theater. The whole performance, a single camera shot, starts on one of those goblins, and the camera goes roving all over the room while the band plays.
At various points, last night’s performance involves a blushing bride, a crucified goblin, and frontman Grian Chatten in some kind of wicker cage. It’s hard to say what any of this might mean, but it’s definitely a refreshing break from the late-night-performance routine. Check it out below.
Skinty Fia is out 4/22 on Partisan.