Frightened Rabbit + Lanterns On The Lake @ The Institute, Birmingham, 11th November 2013
Divine intervention, or something like it; not what you would expect in Birmingham on a Monday night in a cramped, packed, sweaty venue, and definitely not something you would expect in a crowd where a typical minority could not have cared less for what was on stage.
Not that there is too much of the divine about Frightened Rabbit, but there is plenty of life. Front man Scott Hutchinson can connect with his people regardless of the size of venue. I’ve seen them at festivals, in halls, and in clubs, and in my opinion that connection is what makes their live performances special.
He is always engaged right away, talking to the hecklers, cheerfully descending to their level of crudity, and making it clear that everyone is up for an enjoyable time. Many of their songs have an anthemic quality and lots of people say that the sound is definitively “Scottish”. But we are not talking about a Biffy Clyro football crowd stuff here. The subtlety and ingenuity present in Frightened Rabbit’s songs put them in a different class. The downside is that this can ask a lot more of your typical Monday night crowd.
As found Lanterns On The Lake, as they managed to put up a good fight against a mixed reaction and as their set went on they really won more than a few over. I suspect that you need to know their stuff to really appreciate them live. Their best tunes were those that seemed to have something slightly different about them and these stood out a mile. There are a whole heap of superficial bands who seem to think that a lot of drums and chanting eh-oh every now and then makes a good tune and Lanterns On The Lake need to steer clear of this. They’ve been around a while and don’t want to turn their song Another Tale from Another Town into Another Band from Another Town and tonight they could have done with that bit of intervention themselves.
Perhaps I ought to explain further. On this tour there is a point in the Frightened Rabbit set where lead singer Scott is joined on stage by Hazel from Lanterns on the Lake. This is about halfway through, so the audience have already been treated to the usual emotional highs and lows, discordant angst, and familiar tunes played at volume. At this stage the rest of band leave Scott and Hazel alone on stage and to their own devices. Unfortunately some of the fans neglected to notice the change in the vibe and carried on getting the beers in, discussing the X factor or whoever they just had sex with, at an unreasonable volume. The majority enjoyed the acoustic rendition of the aptly and endearingly titled Fuck This Place (a beautiful tune whose title belies its tale of hopelessness and a lack of belonging) but for a few the efforts of listening or having any respect for the performers was just a bit too much.
So it was with some foreboding that I watched Hazel leave the stage and Scott move away from the microphone, (telling us all that he hates microphones) ripping off the pickup from his guitar, for some real acoustic music. Floating In The Forth is a tender song, a disturbing song, and one that deserves of one hundred percent of everyone’s attention. It is one of those which becomes more powerful when everyone takes the trouble to understand. He stood right on the edge of the stage, as close as he could get to us without falling into the pit and began to strum his guitar.
So here is my divine intervention. From the first line “So you’ve just stepped out of the front of my house…” you could hear the proverbial pin drop as if some unseen hand had conjured up a big sign saying SHUT UP! The cackling harpies were silent, there were no clinking glasses, and the raucous tales had been given a rest. It was a moment to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. The atmosphere was electric, the song and the singer both fantastic, and the applause at the end brought the house down. I have no idea if the effect was the same on other dates on this tour but Scott seemed genuinely surprised.
It was also a welcome break from the heat and the sweat. Standing at the back there was a fog beween me and the stage and the floor and walls were running with moisture. It didn’t help that officious security had tried to ambush the photographers leaving trays of cups of water in the dark, like some peculiar mine field. You don’t need me to tell you what happened. Fortunately our Steph emerged safe and dry.
Scott likened the lack of oxygen on stage to playing Red Rocks in Colorado and reckoned that all bands in the Institute Library must play slower than anywhere else. But it didn’t stop him telling us about his adult nappy rash and the size of his gonads or doing the Moonwalk, Jacko style, on the slippery stage.
It’s possible that they may be away for a while; as Scott said they have lots of other things to do, but the encore including Keep Yourself Warm and The Loneliness And The Scream sent everyone home happy, and knowing what they will miss.
Set List (I Think)
Holy
The Modern Leper
Nothing Like You
Dead Now
Old Old Fashioned
December’s Traditions
Music Now
The Wrestle
Fast Blood
State Hospital
Head Rolls Off
Nitrous Gas
Fuck This Place
(acoustic, duet with Hazel … more)
Floating in the Forth
My Backwards Walk
The Oil Slick
Acts of Man
———-
Keep Yourself Warm
The Woodpile
The Loneliness and the Scream
Photographs – Stephanie Colledge
Words -Ian Gelling