Fontaines D.C. have reflected on losing out to The Rolling Stones at the 2025 Grammys, joking that they think they need to be over the age of 40 to take home a trophy.
- READ MORE: Fontaines D.C. tell us about beautiful new single ‘It’s Amazing To Be Young’ and what’s next
It was announced at the end of 2024 that the Dublin post-punk heroes had secured a Best Rock Album nomination for ‘Romance‘.
They were up against IDLES’ ‘Tangk‘, Green Day’s ‘Saviours‘, Jack White‘s ‘No Name‘, Pearl Jam‘s ‘Dark Matter‘, The Black Crowes‘s ‘Happiness Bastards’ and Rolling Stones’ 2024 album ‘Hackney Diamonds‘.
It was their second nomination after the Dublin post-punk heroes were also up for Best Rock Album for ‘A Hero’s Death’ in 2021, but the trophy for the 2025 edition ultimately went to Mick Jagger and co. – marking their fourth win at the Grammys.
Now, the members of Fontaines D.C. have discussed the awards in a new interview and joked that they’re not old enough to be considered Grammy winners just yet.
Guitarists Carlos O’Connell and Conor Curley made the comments during a new appearance on the La Bestia radio station, where they were asked about how it felt to lose out to the rock icons.
“They’re a great band though,” O’Connell said. “It’s a bit mad but, at the same time it is The Rolling Stones.”
Curely went on to explain that they think the decision may have come down to the panel looking at the band’s legacy and entire catalogue, rather than the specific album at hand before O’Connell quipped: “I think we need to turn 40 to get the Grammy”.
The Rolling Stones’ win at the 2025 ceremony divided fans online, with some celebrating the band for taking home the win this far into their career, while others criticised the panel for overlooking the newer talent who had worked their way up the ranks.
“I love the Beatles and The Rolling Stones a lot but enough already with the #Grammys. Idles and Fontaines DC and others are out here making great shit,” one fan wrote, while another added: “Love love the rolling stones but that grammy should’ve gone to fontaines dc.”
Despite going home empty-handed at the Grammys, Fontaines D.C. have secured some wins at other awards ceremonies this year. This includes taking home the win at the BRITs in the International Group Of The Year category, as well as the win for Best New Artist (Alt and Rock) at the 2025 edition of the iHeartRadio Music Awards earlier this week.
Later this year, the band will be returning to Europe and the UK for a run of huge outdoor headline shows and festival appearances this summer, including a sold-out stop at London’s Finsbury Park on July 5, Newcastle on July 13, Cardiff Castle on July 30, and Manchester’s Wythenshawe Park on August 15. Visit here for tickets and more information.
As for new material, the band recently released a new single ‘It’s Amazing To Be Young’, which bassist Conor ‘Deego’ Deegan III told NME was inspired by being “in the presence of a newborn child” – the child of guitarist O’Connell.
He also explained that the song was written around the same time as ‘Romance‘ but was simply left off the record as they wanted to keep the LP “concise”. ‘It’s Amazing To Be Young’ will be released on vinyl backed by the b-side ‘Before You I Just Forget’ later this year. Visit here to pre-order it.