Videos

Frightened Rabbit – The Loneliness And The Scream

15th Oct 2010

2010 has proved to be a pivitol year for Frightened Rabbit, their hugely acclaimed ‘The Winter Of Mixed Drinks’ album – proving more than a match for it’s hallowed predessor ‘The Midnight Organ Fight’ – has seen them cement their reputation both at home and in the USA & Europe. Their biggest UK tour to date includes two Barrowlands dates (3 & 5 Dec) and a night at Shepherds Bush Empire (1 Dec). Full tour dates are below.

The band release a final single from the album, ‘The Loneliness & The Scream’ through FatCat on 22 November, acompanyed by a box set incorporating all four singles from ‘The Winter Of Mixed Drinks’. Explains singer Scott Hutchison, “The single itself is really about the same things that most of TWOMD focussed on: a sense of isolation and the hints of madness and odd behaviour that can arise as a result of that. Like a lot of the record, I also wanted to be fairly sparse with the imagery. I hoped the listener would try fill in the blanks and walk into the song, tying bits of it together along the way. But it's a simple premise really. A person gets a bit lost and cries for help, or cries just to be heard at all. I suppose it was also relating to what I do most days as a singer in a touring band – shout to make people listen.”

Sure to be a talking point is the cover on the flip of Elton John and Kiki Dee’s ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ – a six week chart topper in ’76 – in which Hutchison duets with The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn. Scott, it transpires, has been harbouring the idea for some time: “The b-side has been an idea of mine for a couple of years actually, two guys singing the Elton John/Kiki Dee duet. When I was making a list of the ideal 'Kiki's, Craig Finn was at the top. I couldn't believe it when he agreed to do the part. I imagined it sounding like two drunk guys doing the whole 'I love you, man' speeches towards the end of a drunken night. I don't think there are many writers who document scenarios like these better than Craig – he is quite simply one of my favourite lyricists and his voice works brilliantly in the role.”

Frightened Rabbit’s part was recorded at Glasgow’s CaVa Studios while Craig recorded his vocal in the Hold Steady’s regular studio, Wild Arctic Recording in New York.

Frightened Rabbit dates begin in Seattle, 7 October, with UK dates as follows:
November
20 – Anson Rooms, Bristol *
21 – Academy 2, Manchester *
22 – Northumbria Uni, Newcastle *
24 – Sugarmill, Stoke
25 – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
26 – Phoenix Theatre, Exeter
27 – Komedia, Brighton
29 – Cockpit, Leeds
30 – Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton

December
1 – Shepherd's Bush Empire, London
3 – Barrowlands, Glasgow (SOLD OUT)
5 – Barrowlands, Glasgow
8 – Empire, Belfast
9 – Academy, Dublin
11 – ATP, Minehead

Support on all shows from Sky Larkin except (*) The Neat. Admiral Fallow open all shows.

Frightened Rabbit is: Scott Hutchison (vocals, guitar), Grant Hutchison (Drums, vocals), Billy Kennedy (guitar, keys), Andy Monaghan (bass, keyboard, guitar), Gordon Skene (guitar, keys, percussion)