The article considers which contemporary artists might become the arena-filling “legacy acts” of future decades, using Fontaines D.C. as a starting point. It argues that today’s music scene makes long-term stardom less predictable, but that artists who build distinctive identities and committed audiences may endure.

Its focus is on the changing nature of musical legacy: whether newer bands can eventually command the nostalgia, scale and cross-generational appeal associated with established touring acts. Fontaines D.C. are presented as part of the generation whose future cultural staying power is still being tested.