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SXSW review: Frightened Rabbit
If you needed further proof that Scotland’s abnormally high number of trendy, fiendishly catchy indie pop bands for a country of five million had struck an abnormally strong chord with U.S. audiences, you needed only to visit the Parish Wednesday night. The Scottish Arts Council commandeered the space for a showcase of Scottish talent, and as headliner Frightened Rabbit followed equally gabbed-about quartet We Were Promised Jetpacks, the line to get in was one in, one out, and the air inside was hot and stuffy.
That turned out to be an appropriate touch for Frightened Rabbit, five dapper gentlemen from Selkirk that enthralled the packed-to-the-rafters audience at the Parish with nearly an hour’s worth of animated alternative rock. The set was heavy on material from this month’s critically praised “The Winter of Mixed Drinks,” with excursions into “Sing the Greys” and “The Midnight Organ Fight.”
The strength of Frightened Rabbit — and it becomes even more apparent live, where the band pushes their rock inclinations further than they do on record — is just how straightforward they are. The band is four guitarists and a drummer, with rare excursions into keyboards. That means songs like the explosive encore “Square 9” are free to be simple, swelling rock songs that build to a cathartic release in the way that all great rock anthems do. With driving energy, relatable lyricism and an unabashed love of the crescendo, songs like “Backwards Walk” go a long way towards establishing Frightened Rabbit as Scotland’s Springsteen — purveyors of heart-pounding, fist-throwing rock ‘n’ roll with an added layer of poignancy.
The band’s real ace in the hole, though, is lead singer Scott Hutchison, who elevates what could be a rote indie rock band into the stratosphere with his anguished, powerful vocals. When Hutchison laments on “Swim Until You Can’t See Land,” his voice breaks with emotion, as though he were singing the song — which he’s doubtless performed hundreds of times by this point — as if for the first time. Hutchison’s powerful vocals help raise Frightened Rabbit above the potential tag of pleasant-yet-forgettable, and he’s a consummate showman, involving the crowd at the Parish and leading them along in hand claps and sing-alongs. Frightened Rabbit may not have supplanted Camera Obscura as the indie Scottish band of choice just yet, but they may well be on their way.
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Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: SXSW 2010
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By Justin
March 18, 2010 11:47 AM | Link to this
Staying up till 3:30 to write the article- nice! The show was great, but I thought the audience seemed to have lost their oomph by Frightened Rabbit’s set. I was ready to get down, but I was disappointed by the lack of sing-along the crowd engaged in.