Scottish troubadours Frightened Rabbit step up their show at Electric Factory (photos, review, setlist)

All photos by Rachel Barrish | rachelbarrish.com

On Sunday evening the Scottish brethren in Frightened Rabbit consumed the stage at the Electric Factory. Having previously played at a sold out show at the smaller Union Transfer back in February, the 3,000 capacity venue felt a bit less packed with bodies but more filled with genuine fans.

Going back in time to 2003, Scott Hutchison chose to play a song off the band’s first album, Sing the Greys early in the set. He asked the audience if they remembered that album and the crowd cheered, but Hutchison jokingly responded “Yeah, yeah, you probably just think it’s Midnight Organ Fight. But that’s okay”. His interactions with audience members are always entertaining and amusing, poking fun at the loud hecklers shouting out requests. He even started off after the first song by taking off his shoes, gearing up for the evening ahead.

Surprisingly there seems to be good amount of songs missing from the setlist that would have been expected, specifically “Late March, Death March” that stood out from their most recent LP Pedestrian Verse with its triumphant chorus and harmonious vocals. They instead brought out “Backyard Skulls” and “The Oil Slick”, two other stand out numbers from the latest LP. Hutchison also did two solo numbers, “Fuck this Place” from the 2011 Frightened Rabbit EP and “Poke” off The Midnight Organ Fight, the album that stands out in most of our minds as Hutchison’s best lyrical endeavor.

“Keep Yourself Warm” closed out the show during the encore; it is a song that literally brought me to tears at one point. Although the lyrics are a bit graphic and the metaphors brings to mind an uncomfortable visual, the epitome of the song is about staying true to oneself and learning to be happy, because you won’t find happiness or love with just anyone. Check out photos from the show in the gallery below and the setlist after the jump.

Setlist
Holy
The Modern Leper
Nothing Like You
Backyard Skulls
Old Old Fashioned
December’s Traditions
Dead Now
Music Now
State Hospital
Fast Blood
The Oil Slick
Nitrous Gas
Fuck This Place (solo)
Poke (solo)
My Backwards Walk
Heads Roll Off
Acts of Man

Encore:
The Woodpile
Keep Yourself Warm
The Loneliness and the Scream