I must admit that when I heard I was going to review a band named ‘Frightened Rabbit’, I had some reservations. An obscure, Scottish band from a town named Selkirk; A band of which neither myself nor most people I asked had heard. So, with that in mind, I was surprised to see that the show to take place on the 28th of January at the John Curtin Hotel in Carlton had sold out.

I was, however, assured by some die-hard Rabbit fans upon my arrival that I would not be disappointed with the forthcoming performance.

Before I go on, for the sakes of those as equally ignorant as myself, I will provide a brief background about who exactly Frightened Rabbit are. In short, Frightened Rabbit began as simply the pseudonym for musician Scott Hutchison. For a year or so, Scott was his own band. Eventually he was joined by his brother, Grant, gradually followed by Billy Kennedy, Andy Monaghan and, most recently, Gordon Skene. A self-proclaimed Indie-Folk-Rock band, Frightened Rabbit are set to release their third studio album, ‘A winter of mixed drinks’, next month.

Now, far away from their homes on the banks of the Ettrick Water, the boys were encountered by a full house in the Curtin Band Room. Following the relatively ordinary support act, the crowd waited with bated breath for the Scots to descend upon the stage in the recently refurbished venue. Beers in hand, the men trundled on to the stage and immediately washed away any of my uncertainties, and simultaneously met the high expectations of the crowd.

The energy of leading man, Scott, was contagious. From the outset he kept the adoring fans enthralled with his active stage presence and lively rendition of ‘The Modern Leper’ to kick-start the show. The band members were clearly ecstatic to perform in such an intimate and interactive atmosphere, reminding the crowd that the Curtin had hosted them on occasions gone past. A small collective of dedicated fans dominating the front few rows made it their business to shout requests and scream ‘Shit Yeah!!!’ following every… single… song.

Meanwhile, the other band members flaunted their multiple talents effortlessly, with Gordon on occasions playing his synth with his guitar still hanging around his neck before jamming on the piano. Towards the end of the set, Grant produced an impressive, epic drum solo intermission during ‘Square 9’.

Frightened Rabbit pleased the audience by sticking with the old and familiar songs such as ‘Fast Blood’ and ‘Old old fashioned’. However, new material was also featured in the set, particularly impressive was the forthcoming single ‘Nothing like you’. Interestingly, the current single ‘Swim until you can’t see land’ was not played.

One had to only look to the steamed-up windows to grasp just how much energy was put into the performance by both the band itself, and the incessantly active audience. As Frightened Rabbit exhaustingly departed from the stage, the crowd cheered persistently until they re-emerged. For the encore, we were left with an awesome performance of ‘Keep yourself warm’, ending the gig on a high.

I can now say, genuinely, that Frightened Rabbit are a very capable band with great potential. Should anybody get the chance to see them on the remainder of their tour, or choose to see them instead of Mumford and Sons (with whom their set times clash) at Laneway, they will not be disappointed.

Full Setlist:

The Modern Leper
I Feel Better
Fast Blood
The Twist
Good Arms vs. Bad Arms
Old Old Fashioned
Heads Roll Off
Square 9
Nothing Like You
My Backwards Walk
Poke

Encore:
Keep Yourself Warm