Frightened Rabbit: Live Review, Nottingham Bodega Social, 11 November 2009

Never mind Frightened Rabbit; Lucy and I are totally stunned when, upon entering Nottingham’s Bodega Social, we’re met by a solid wall of tall, sweaty men. The venue is totally packed but we somehow manage to claw our way to the front. Big props go out to the motley crew of tree surgeons, a personal trainer, an astrophysicist and, erm, a student, who let Lucy stand in front of them to take pics. Yes, there is a God – for tonight at least.

Frightened Rabbit finally clamber onto the stage and an awed hush falls over the crowd. It’s perhaps worth mentioning that tonight’s throng of devotees are almost exclusively male and serious. music. fans. I get filthy looks from those around me for daring to admit I know almost nothing about FR. A music journalist trying to find out if a band are any cop by seeing them live?! For shame!

What we get from FR though, is a sound that’s so carefully crafted I can’t pin it down. With his alternately guttural and melodious style, FR’s vocalist Scott Hutchison sounds the spit of Dave Matthews. And with a sound that’s densely layered with two guitars, keyboards, bass, drums and three harmonies (performed faultlessly), you might be able to forgive the crowd for turning slightly shoegazey and nodding heads and tapping feet in time to the rhythm.

Grant Hutchison loses it completely towards the close of the set as he’s left on stage to drum himself into oblivion. There’s nothing but pure rage in his primal yell and crystal clear, psychopathic stare. Anger!
– Michelle Dhillon

Perhaps more than anyone else, FR’s folk-influenced take on traditional rock songs recalls US greats The Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse. The superbly structured Good Arms Vs Bad Arms and Fast Blood go down a treat tonight. Ok, they may not have fiddles and violins in their ensemble, but they do have an accordion! And the techniques and the level of musical accomplishment are strikingly similar. The Twist is another brilliant example of this: opening with a single piano refrain, there follows a beautiful and gradual layering of harmonies with minimalist guitar input from Andy Hutchison and Billy Kennedy until the drums kick in and we feel the full force of the track.

In fact, drummer and brother of Scott, Grant Hutchison loses it completely towards the close of the set as he’s left on stage to drum himself into oblivion. There’s nothing but pure rage in his primal yell and crystal clear, psychopathic stare. Anger! If anything, this one bizarre moment sums up FR perfectly. Most of their songs are too long, and their musical attitude fiercely uncompromising, to be ‘radio friendly’. But like the terrifying Bigwig in Watership Down, these rabbits aren’t frightened of anyone. And it’s this fearsome edginess that truly sets them apart.