Fontaines D.C. Guitarist Won't Be Playing At Aus Dates Next Week

Fontaines D.C. guitarist Carlos O'Connell won't be making the trek to Australia for the band's upcoming shows, which begin in Sydney on 1 February. Taking to social media, O'Connell revealed that his reason for not coming to Australia is due to the imminent birth of his first child.

The Irish outfit will perform in New Zealand for the first time today, with gigs in Christchurch, Wellington, and the Auckland leg of Laneway Festival. The guitarist will be replaced by Cathal MacGabhann from fellow Irish band The Altered Hours. 

In an Instagram statement, O'Connell wrote, "I will not be attending these shows with Fontaines due to the little less imminent, yet a little more unpredictable, birth of my first child.

"I am truly in awe at the idea of new life, this little one has become the reason why I do anything since I found out about her. In saying it all, I am more gutted than I expected to be at the prospect of missing these shows. I can’t wait for the day I get to go to that end of the world with my boys."

He added, "Lastly, for those asking 'but who’s gonna do all the weird shit that he does now?' Well after testing out a few over the last 8 months, we finally found an amazing modified vacuum cleaner that has settings just right for most of the songs." He said about his short-term replacement, "Cathal from The Altered Hours put in all the work I stretched out over a period of 5 years into one stressful Christmas and he’s come out sounding better than any Hoover could’ve done. I’ve full faith in this man’s talent as a player and passion for music."

In a The Music cover story, we caught up with Fontaines D.C. ahead of their upcoming Australian tour. At Reading Festival last year, a fan named Dexter was holding a sign to join Fontaines D.C. onstage. Dexter did join the group – he was given a guitar and played the Dogrel number, Boys In The Better Land, for an ecstatic audience. “We're not saying no to that ever happening again,” bassist Conor "Deego" Deegan III said about the possibility of an Aussie fan joining them on stage, “We don't really want to make it a thing that happens all the time; we want to keep it a very special thing."

Fontaines D.C. are making their Australian tour and festival debut this February. Punters can catch the band at Laneway and sold-out headline shows - find more info on the band’s website.