Frightened Rabbit – Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, London 18/11/08

Frightened Rabbit at Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, 02/10/08. Photo credit: Lucy Johnston

Up and coming folk troubadours Frightened Rabbit played to a sold-out crowd at the ever-trendy Hoxton Bar and Kitchen. Crowd and industry alike were clearly amused by the eclectic choice of supports, but obviously blown away by the headliners.

Baddies opened proceedings with their spin on what can only be termed as Kaiser Chief-rock. Before any of you shrink back at fear from that suggestion, it isn’t intended as criticism, only description. In reality, Baddies are comparable to the Kaisers when they were on good form, ‘I Predict A Riot’ era, before the public realised that loving a band too much ultimately leads to hating them even more. Shouty, adrenaline pumped Oi-pop seemed to be the overall vibe of Baddies’ set. Their songs were well written and came across as powerful enough live, taking a pop sound but throwing in the occasional unexpected guitar flick or Klaxons-esque vocal harmony here or there. However, as with the Kaisers, there were times when Baddies did come across as slightly cliche, with their lead singer constantly feeling the need to point at a largely non-moving and ambivalent crowd in the style of a military dictator. The smart shirt/retro instrument image did nothing but solidify the indie stereotype as well. All in through, Baddies played a solid set and if, like the audience, you can look past the surface flaws, it’s easy to see a band with a hell of a lot of potential in the pop world.

After an over-long period of preparation, where your erstwhile reviewer took the time out to marvel at how expensive drinks in Shoreditch really are, Dan Black and his cohorts took to the stage. One word, and one abbreviation.

Male M.I.A.

That was the instant impact of Dan Black and his live band. The set was lathered in synth, and had songs ranging from down-tempo heavy jams to dancier future pop classics. Heavy use of sequencing and digital drums, normally well renowned for falling flat on its face during an actual show instead sounded remarkably good, with Dan showing himself to be an interesting and passionate frontman. London shows being as they always are, only the front row was truly moving in time to the music, with the rest of the audience reduced to head nods and foot taps. That didn’t seem to bother Dan Black though, no sir, as he sung with enough gusto to fill a venue much larger and more ‘up for it’ than the Hoxton Bar and Kitchen. The bassist frequently abandoned his traditional instrument in favour of a tiny synth strapped around his crotch, and the laptop wizard was always turning one knob or another. Whether that actually had any impact on the music is debatable, but if it keeps him happy, then who are we to judge? Aside from petty criticisms (all the band members had one or two repetitive gestures which got very annoying very quickly), Dan Black and his band didn’t fail to impress.

However, there was only one band the audience were here tonight to see, and that was Selkirks finest export (aside the bannocks, so I’m told), Frightened Rabbit. Suddenly the air was thick with Scottish accents, like 30 hidden north of the border ninjas had revealed themselves just in time to enjoy a bit of national pride. Songs like ‘I Feel Better’ had large amounts of the crowd singing along, albeit in a self-conscious, half-muttered way. ‘Good Arms vs Bad Arms’ was sung with much more fire and bile than on recording, with Scott Hutchison sweating profusely, clearly wilting under the stage lights but still managing to put in a super-human level of conviction into his voice. Prolific use of swearwords were also his forte throughout the set, with his front monitors and the band’s soundguy receiving the majority of it for not delivering enough of their joyful folk back into their ears. Can’t really blame them for this though, as listening to Frightened Rabbit live is an affecting and endearing thing.

On stage, this foursome manage to inject a little punk spirit, a little anger and a shedloads of joy and raw human emotion into what by all rights should be just another folk band playing sad songs for the standard selection of semi-drunks. This of course was repaid by cheers and whoops aplenty after the end of every song (and even in the quiet bits of songs if you’re me and forgot when the song was supposed to finish, how embarrassing!). Thankfully, the rest of the audience were clearly well versed in the Frightened Rabbit canon, a testament to the solid fanbase they have amassed through their non-stop touring, convincing live performance and well-picked support slots. The Death Cab For Cutie tour was underway, and the band are due to support Biffy Clyro, but tonight’s show at The Bar and Kitchen proved to all gathered that Frightened Rabbit have the clout, knowledge and experience to dazzle crowds in a headlining capacity as well, not just playing second fiddle to an already well established act. Frightened Rabbit have a rare ability to inspire strong feelings of emotion through their music, rather than just provide 45 minutes of entertainment. On their last song you could see couples huddling that much closer, friends embracing and jokes being shared, all the while enjoying the band in front of them. It was a palpable switch in atmosphere, and sealed the deal that tonight was indeed the night of the Rabbit.