photos and review by Nick Nemphos
Frightened Rabbit started their set off with a few high energy crowd pleasing tunes, the second song of the set “Modern Leper” coming off nicely which quickly got the crowd ready to follow the band wherever they took them. Each song the band played had a bit more punch to them with a slightly raised tempo making for a show that was simply fun to be a part of.
Singer Scott Hutchison was in a particularly talkative mood throughout the night. It seemed as though in between nearly every other song there was at least a brief moment where Hutchison addressed his audience. Topics ranging from his nieces favorite song of the bands’ (“Late March, Death March”) to an entertaining brief side conversation about Pitchfork’s rating system where he confessed he didn’t really care what they had to say anymore. These intimate in between moments really added to overall feel of the show.
The band seemed to feed off the energy in the crowd. They played a few extra songs not on their normal setlist this tour including a lovely solo, and not often performed, “Scottish Winds” done as a request from an audience member. This happened during a short three-song solo acoustic section that also featured a highly emotive “Poke” from 2008’s Midnight Organ Flight. Oddly enough the band drew almost as heavily from that album as they did the new Pedestrian Verse.
The combination of Hutchison’s personal lyrics, emotional performance and revealing stage banter made for a memorable evening. Frightened Rabbit ended the night with a heightened “The Loneliness and The Scream” alongside openers Wintersleep that literally left the audience singing well after they left the stage.
