Frightened Rabbit

Upstairs at The Empire reminds me of a 19th century saloon in the Wild West, a bit like the kind you might find in Calamity Jane (1953); ornate in a theatrical kind of way. In fact, whenever I'm there I half expect to see Doris Day perched somewhere by the bar snarling at Howard Keel. I imagine we'd get on well, Doris and I. Maybe she'd buy me a drink and we'd talk about our favorite type of cacti. A fanciful thought, and some way adrift from the actual experience I had at The Empire, where I was watching the unique Frightened Rabbit for the first time.

Rock bands generally fall into two groups; those who are at their best in the studio and those who are at their best live. Indeed, those bands who fall into the former category don't usually do so in virtue of their talent for production, but rather their failings in front of an audience. Fortunately, Frightened Rabbit are at their best live. Their studio releases really do not compare to the energy and emotion they manage to produce on stage and Wednesday night was no exception.



Even with a somewhat lifeless (yet appreciative) audience the atmosphere was remarkable and christened perfectly with 'Things', a song which really exemplifies the raw qualities of the band - despite it being the opening track on 'The Winter of Mixed Drinks', an album which arguably suffocates those very same qualities.

With the words, "I didn't need these things, I didn't need them" (now reminding me of my ramblings on Doris Day) and the introduction of a tamed but powerful drum beat I felt the floor beneath me throb to the sheer drive of the song. In fact, it's songs like 'Things' that illustrate a real beauty in Frightened Rabbit; a course guitar set against the warm earthy voice of Scott Hutchison, a catching melody with a candid lyric and a pulsing build up.

It's a pretty incredible experience to feel such energy emanate from a band, and while the tempo lulled in the middle of the set somewhat, showcasing some of those songs which aren't as immediately striking, such as 'Not Miserable' and 'Skip the Youth' (which nonetheless deserve appreciation), that very same energy was sustained through most of the performance. The gig ended on a real high with an encore consisting of 'Poke', 'Twist' and 'Loneliness'. 'Poke', especially seemed to be a favorite with the crowd.

While I appreciated Frightened Rabbit before seeing them live, I now hear a little extra when I listen to their recordings. It's almost as if I add myself the edges and crinkles that are somehow ironed out in production and hear the real energy and charisma behind the songs. Truly a great band to see live. I'm just disappointed none of them took the opportunity to wear cowboy hats.

FUTURE GIGS

sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.