Fontaines D.C.’s Deego on romance, poetry and credit scorespublished at 20:02 BST
20:02 BST
Colin Paterson
Entertainment Correspondent, reporting from the Mercury Prize
Image source, PA Media
Fontaines D.C. have had an incredible year: Grammy nominations, winning best international act at the Brits, and now, tonight, being nominated – for the second time – for the Mercury Prize.
I spoke to the group on the red carpet ahead of the awards ceremony and asked group member Deego why he thinks their nominated album – Romance – has pushed them to a whole new level.
“I think that there was something in the water that made people react to the album in that way,” he says.
If the group were to release it seven years before, Deego thinks it wouldn’t get the same reception.
He says it captures the struggle to maintain a sense of romance and idealism in a chaotic world. In fact, the group were brought together by a deep appreciation for poetry – even writing DIY poetry books dotted around shops in Dublin, he says.
“I hope they never see the light of day,” jokes Deego.
What next for Fontaines, I ask? Deego says, for them, it’s about doing “normal life stuff now” – like getting his credit score up.
“Shouldn’t have skipped out on those bills,” he jokingly laments.
If they win tonight, maybe that £25,000 cheque will help.