Fontaines D.C.’s Black Boys on Mopeds: A Haunting Cover for a Good Cause

Charity War Child is a charity that works to support children across the world in war torn countries and was inspired by a 1995 charity record called HELP. With current conflicts in Gaza, Iran, the Ukraine and other areas across the world, they decided to make a HELP(2). This album is in the conversation for one of the best charity albums of all time. Bands and artists like Big Thief, Olivia Rodrigo, Arlo Parks, Cameron Winter (from Geese), Depeche Mode, Beth Gibbons, Arctic Monkeys, Damon Albarn…and countless others make a 23 track musical kaleidoscope that will not only raise money, but is an incredible artistic achievement. For the sake of this review we will focus on Fontaines D.C.’s haunting cover of Sinéad O’Connor’s Black Boys on Mopeds.

Let’s talk about the song choice. First off, it is very fitting for an Irish punk/rock band like Fontaines D.C. to cover a song from the late great Irish musical / activist icon Sinéad O’Connor. Moreover, the song about police violence towards black teenagers and poor / marginalised people in England fits right in with War Child’s ethos. I love Sinéad O’Connor and this song has always been a hidden gem for me. It has all the activism I love from O’Connor with her powerful vocal. It is great to see a band with the following of Fontaines D.C. bringing this track out for new audiences.

All good covers stay close to the original, but put their own spin on it. Think of Tori Amos’ Smells Like Teen Spirit or Paramore’s take on Burning Down the House. It’s a fine line. You can’t be so far off base that the song is unrecognisable, but if you go beat for beat…I’ll just listen to the original. Fontaines D.C. gives the track a stripped back DIY punk feel with thumping drums, slight guitar crunch and feedback. However, woven within this punk tapestry are acoustic guitar riffs and strings, which harkens back to the original’s acoustic foundation. So, you have this interesting melding of modern punk with the original’s more grounded acoustic vibe. Having said that, this is a highly political track in line with some of the best punk from bands like Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat or Bad Brains. So, going the punk route musically, and with really sparse vocal effects, is in line with O’Connor’s original vision.

Grian Chatten’s vocal is what really makes the track. His delivery is both stark and powerful. This allows the lyrics to really come to the front of the track and the listener cannot turn away from the racism, police brutality and classism O’Connor was fighting against. The lack of musical flamboyance coupled with Chatten’s strong vocal makes this track more of a call to arms at an activist rally in Dublin than a rock song. It is this power that always hit me with the original and Chatten was able to capture that vibe in his own way.

This is an excellent cover. Fontaines D.C. pay O’Connor’s original the reverence it deserves, but are not beholden to it. They stretch their wings musically and vocally without losing the power and the message from the original. Most importantly, they will bring this track to new audiences as they help raise money for a good cause and inspire a new generation of social activists.

Listen to Fontaines D.C.’s cover of Black Boys on Mopeds