Frightened Rabbit - Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, London,2/10/2008

  by Anthony Middleton

published: 21 / 9 / 2008

intro

At a gig at the Hoxton Bar and Kitchen as part of the Concrete and Glass festival, Anthony Middleton finds Scottish band's Frightened Rabbit's passionate, desperate and often foul mouthed tales of inadequacy having a lot to offer, but largely lost on an unresponsive crowd

Hoxton has a well deserved reputation for being the epicentre for all that is big on artifice and short on substance. The opposite is true of Frightened Rabbit, a band with a hard fitful energy, while not being the most photogenic nor fashionable of chaps. Part of Concrete and Glass, the two day art and music extravaganza around Shoreditch, Frightened Rabbit only had around forty minutes on stage, making this more of a showcase than a full gig. A packed back room of the Hoxton Bar and Grill was treated to lead singer Scott Hutchison’s passionate, even desperate and often foul mouthed tales of inadequacy. While in some ways they stalk the well-trodden path of indie rock, they have enough that is unique to make them stand out. At times playing with three guitars and no bass they created a full, complex and detailed backing to Hutchison’s wailing, howling vocals. 'Fast Blood', from the latest album 'The Midnight Organ Fight', is a barrage of three guitars working together but quite distinctively. The bass-less sound is maintained most of the time, but, with drumming and keyboards this good, there is no lack of meat on the bones. Again, it is the differences and original touches that make Frightened Rabbit stand out, the country blues of 'Old Old Fashioned' and the cracking Wedding Present-like 'Heads Roll Off'. The band do not look totally comfortable on stage, due perhaps to the context or because they are bedding in a new guitarist. Still, Hutchison was offering a lot, but much of this is lost on a crowd thinking where they are heading next and the whole thing seems to come to a premature and vaguely unsatisfying end.

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