From KCRW DJ Eric J Lawrence:
I first saw Frightened Rabbit at SXSW back in 2007. Their debut album, Sing the Greys, was a personal favorite from the previous year, but because they were just a start-up indie band from Scotland, they hadn’t made it to the US yet, so I was very excited to see their live set.
They did not disappoint! They were the first band I saw in Austin that week, but nothing else came close to topping their intense, powerful performance. The singer was chugging away on his guitar, the bassist rocked back and forth, and the drummer was blowing away on a harmonica while pounding the toms. After a song and a half, they were all drenched in sweat, but soldiered on with their set, which culminated with a piñata in the shape of rabbit being gleefully destroyed.
There weren’t more than a couple dozen people there, so it felt like something of a secret how good this band was (although there were significantly more folks there to check them out at the following year’s SXSW, where they also killed.) Three years, two studio albums and a live record later, they’re still making some of the most genuine, passionate and melodic music around, with maybe just a touch more craft and sense of dynamics than they had in their formative years. It was a pleasure to see them on “Morning Becomes Eclectic” and if you missed it, you should check it out here as well. The secret ain’t much of a secret any longer!
ERIC J. LAWRENCE