REVIEW: Frightened Rabbit at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham – 21/02/13

“There’s a strong sense of being the underdog in Scotland – and that comes with a fighting spirit,” said proud Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison when we interviewed him last month.

“That’s historical too, it goes quite far back to being attacked by you lot!

“We’re a small nation so we kick a bit harder than anyone else.”

And kick back they certainly did – right in the face of an awe-struck Rescue Rooms crowd.

The venue is celebrating its 10th anniversary this week, and F’Rabbits put on one hell of an awesomely unwholesome birthday party.

Frightened Rabbit have played the incredible set staple Old Old Fashioned in various venues across this town as their status grows from album to album – its sound, message and the increasingly religious response it gets ironically carries all the hallmarks of what makes F’Rabbits so brilliantly timeless.

They’re independent of all trends and blazing their own trail.

From the colossal future festival anthem of Holy to the sweet but sullen acoustic lament of Poke and choral celebration of The Loneliness and The Scream – every moment feels like the band’s promise is being fulfilled to its ultimate end.

Their conviction and the sheer worship of the audience clearly mark the ‘big deal’ status that Frightened Rabbit have spent 10 years and four albums working for.

Their latest LP reached the almighty heights of the top 10 and they’re even selling their own tea towels tonight – how One Direction is that?

In spite of all that, tonight only rammed home the fact that after signing a major label deal with Atlantic, the only thing that’s ‘sold out’ about ‘F’Rabbits is the wee sweat-box venues they play.

Expect to see them packing out Rock City next door the next time around.

But yeah, labels aside – that was a major league performance by any measure. That brazen Scottish fighting spirit has served them well.