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Elton John has declared that Fontaines D.C. are “the best band out there at the moment”.

The pop icon made the statement during the band’s appearance on his Rocket Hour show on Apple Music this week, where he conducted an interview with Fontaines frontman Grian Chatten.

“For me, you’re the best band out there at the moment,” John said during his introduction of the group.

“Having watched you at Glastonbury, having heard the new album, you’ve just grown every album,” hw told Chatten. “You seem to have found your feet with this album in such a big way…it’s a brilliant record.”

The praise continued, with the ‘Your Song’ singer adding: “I think this album takes you – and I’ve been around for a long time – to a different level, and it’s going to stay around for a long, long time. But what’s more important about it: the music is really, really, really special. Congratulations on everything, Grian. It’s bloody wonderful.”

Elton’s sentiments were shared by NME as far back as 2022, when they picked up the Best Band In The World gong at the Bandlab NME Awards that year.

Speaking to us about what that award meant to them at the time, Chatten said: “Compared to our other albums, I’d rather be called ‘a band of a generation’ or accept another crazy accolade for [third album ‘Skinty Fia’]. Because you know what? This time, we deserve it.”

When asked during an appearance on KEXP a few weeks about how the award has changed his life, Chatten quipped: “I went into a bank last week and asked for a mortgage on the basis of being the best band in the world and, er, they locked me out of the bank.”

The band were due to begin their US tour yesterday (September 20) in Seattle, but they were forced to cancel the opening show after Chatten came down with “some kind of flu”. The frontman apologised for the inconvenience, but said playing would risk vocal injury.

The tour is set to wrap up on October 20 in Philadelphia, and New York indie rockers and NME Cover alumni Been Stellar are opening at all dates. You can visit here to purchase any remaining tickets.

Fontaines’ fourth album ‘Romance’ was released last month, their first with new label XL Recordings. In a glowing five-star review of the James Ford-produced record, NME shared: “‘Romance’ offers moments of wonder and gravity while also feeling occasionally foreboding.”

With the direction of the album, the band were clear that they wanted to implement a distinct move away from the rockier sound on their debut album, ‘Dogrel’.

Speaking to NME about the new record and explaining what the members were hoping to achieve, Chatten recalled how they actively wanted to surprise fans with their new direction.

“To be creatively understood by too many people feels like flies settling all over your clothes and all over your face. Every now and again you have to fucking shake them off, just to see who you are again. That’s what we wanted to do,” he said.

“We spoke a lot about visual references, films and stuff like that. I’m not even messing, but we used to speak about: ‘What kind of weather is it in this song?’ We could meet on a plain that didn’t have anything to do with music, arrangements or instruments. It’s more about abstractly getting to the right place. I think it’s more interesting to work in that why because you’re at less danger of sounding contrived or unoriginal.”

Later this year, Chatten and co. will embark on their 2024 UK and Ireland headline tour, which is set to take place in November and December. That stint includes two nights at Alexandra Palace in the capital.

The group also recently unveiled news of a huge outdoor show at London’s Finsbury Park, due to take place on Saturday July 5, 2025. It will mark the Irish band’s biggest headline performance to date, with support coming from Amyl And The Sniffers and Kneecap. Find remaining tickets to their shows here.

In other news, the band recently said that they “couldn’t really give a shit” about the Oasis reunion. Liam Gallagher later reacted, taking to X/Twitter to respond to a fan who asked if the band would be considered as an opening act for the Oasis tour. “Fuck them little spunkbubbles I’ve seen better dressed ROADIES,” he said.

“They look like a shit EMF,” he added in a separate tweet, as well as responding to another fan who forwarded a clip from the interview over. “State of em,” he wrote.

Elton, meanwhile, has said recently he would love to collaborate with Taylor Swift, Charli XCX and Billie Eilish, describing the former as the “biggest phenomenon” since The Beatles.

It was also announced that the pop legend’s upcoming documentary film Never Too Late will be coming to Disney+ this December.

The film follows the musician as he reflects on his life and 50-year career as he prepared for his final North American stadium show at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium in November 2022, which was also livestreamed on Disney+.

Elton also revealed that he has been dealing with a “severe eye infection” that has left him with “limited vision” in one of his eyes. “I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye,” he wrote in a social media statement.