Frightened Rabbit at The Academy, Dublin on September 14th 2012

Frightened Rabbit return to Dublin once more as part of an Irish tour following their 2010 sold out show, and the reception they received wasn’t much different this time around! Packed to the rafters, fans were out in strength to greet the Scottish five piece on their return.

Support for the evening arrived in the form of Dublin pop infused, rock five piece Leaders of Men. Filled with well established melody and big harmonies, offering a solid and catchy opening set, despite some troubles from a microphone with behavioural issues. Highlight of the set was the track Bite your Lip, brimming with full harmonies and big melodies. It’s taken from the band’s EP ‘The Debut Collection’. Definitely a band to keep an eye on!

As Frightened Rabbit take the stage, the crowd packing The Academy raucously welcomes them, particularly as opening track The Modern Leper kicks off. Unrelenting guitar riffs and drum rhythms set the pace, to me, this is one of the band’s strongest tracks to date. Scott Hutchinson asks the crowd ‘Are you ready to dance?’, and you don’t need to wait for an answer. Launching into the track Old Old Fashioned, it’s mayhem on the dancefloor. The first track from their new EP, State Hospital provides a nice contrast to the more upbeat set so far, with its strong rhythms and slightly darker atmosphere. Another highpoint arrives with the track Head Rolls Off, with all the usual folky hooks bundled together with the masses of energy coming from a band in the heat of a great performance.

Crowd participation is required for Swim Until You Can’t See Land, and with every soul in the place on board to sing the introduction, the result is intense. For every second of this one, the crowd is right behind the band, and the enthusiasm is shared, with the band giving it back as good as they get it all the way. Backwards Walk offers more contrast with its slow and soft beginning, but quickly explodes into a beautiful mass of rhythms and sounds infecting the crowd. The intensity carries through Square 9, which attacks on all sides; rhythmically, melodically and atmospherically, finishing with a tantalizing drum performance. Frightened Rabbit easily end the gig leaving the crowd wanting more. And more they asked for!

Returning for an encore, we are treated to three more tracks, the highlight of which was the final one, The Loneliness and The Scream. Once again, the crowd are right behind the band at every turn, and twist the final notes of the song into the greatest encore I have ever been lucky enough to witness. A relentless barrage of singing, stomping and screaming, from a crowd refusing to quit until the band returns for one final track. Keep Yourself Warm was to be the final track of the night. Between the sweat covered, singing, dancing and screaming crowd, and the exhausted, but still giving it everything band, the night couldn’t have ended on more of a high. It’s clear that Frightened Rabbit‘s popularity has only grown since their last Dublin performance, and the reception they received says it all; these guys are welcome here any time at all.

Frightened Rabbit Photo Gallery

Photos: Yan Bourke

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