Frightened Rabbit (Manchester The Ritz): Review

Frightened Rabbit – Review

Manchester Ritz

November 8^th 2013

My second review this year was originally supposed to be “Frightened Rabbit live from Manchester Gorilla” but due to unforeseen circumstances regarding needed ID (damn my youthful looks) I never made it in. Now the year is almost up, but thankfully I managed to sneak a Frightened Rabbit show in anyway –   this blog would have felt incomplete without it.

For those of you who haven’t heard Frightened Rabbit, they are a Scottish five piece with a unique sound. Lead singer Scott Hutchison’s lyrics are often poetic and explore themes of loneliness, separation, sex and, frequently – death. Early on Hutchison joked about a recent gig: “I said “this next song is about wanting to kill yourself” and a guy shouted out “which one?””

Though their themes are often bleak and coated in self-loathing, the live show is Frightened Rabbit’s third dimension. Their set in the Ritz was a rollercoaster of emotion. They are modest, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have you in the palms of their hands from the very first song.

The atmosphere was great, both sing-a-longs and hold your pints in the air moments were at home in this set. Their opener Holy (from their newest and now well-toured album Pedestrian Verse) sounded crisp and Scott’s voice was noticeably on form – recently touring and playing with The National can’t do a guy’s confidence any harm.

They aren’t the type of band to try too hard to work a crowd, but that’s part of their charm. They get on with their jobs whilst providing great backing vocals for Scott to work with. His voice isn’t always note perfect, but in the second song The Modern Leper it became clear that perfect vocals do not matter at a Frightened Rabbit concert. Scott’s voice is raw and honest and he uses this to his advantage – as when he pushes himself, for instance the line “I cut off my foot to spite my leg”, his voice has an uncanny ability to send a shiver down your spine.

They mixed it up with dancing song Old Old Fashioned, which was the first chant-based song of the night. December’s Traditions shows how tight Frightened Rabbit have become as a band, the song works upon the same few riffs but layers are added as the song progresses. It strange how an album track from the new album can be as engaging as an old favourite.

Scott introduced The Wrestle as “a song about being eaten by a shark”, it really took me by surprise as it gets somewhat lost within the watery depths of The Winter of Mixed Drinks, but it bares its teeth live, earning its place in a strong set.

The band became a three piece for Nitrous Gas, Scott’s brother Grant left his drums and took to the front of the stage to provide backing vocals and guitarist Andy Monaghan remained to join in with the “ohhs”. Scott was then left alone for the acoustic portion of the set.

He introduced support act Lanterns on the Lake’s Hazel Wilde to the stage to perform the first ever live duet of the chilling Fuck This Place. This was a real treat, with Hazel’s blissful tone matching Scott’s wistful lyrics stride for stride.

With Hazel gone, Scott now called on the crowd to provide backing vocals for Floating in the Fourth. These acoustic moments are a great showcase of his brilliant song writing and it is a pleasure to see the songs in their most stripped back form. The absence of Poke from the acoustic section surprised some nearby crowd members but Frightened Rabbit aren’t scared to chop and change songs from their set. Some would see this as a problem, but I would like to think that when a song becomes a set rarity it becomes that bit more special.

It would be hard for them to leave out My Backwards Walk. It is changed noticeably from the album version, with rhythmic drums powering the song forward. There were loud cheers of appreciation when the drums briefly let off and Scott belted out “I’m working on my backwards walk, ‘cause there’s nowhere else for me to go”, before the song’s cracking alternate-rock outro.

Scott thanked Manchester for sticking by the band since they had played a support slot in the same venue some years back, and repaid that debt with Midnight Organ Fight single Head Rolls Off. One of the most impressive songs of the night was Acts of Man, its extended outro got heavy, which is not usual associated with Frightened Rabbit. But, their set did seem to constantly be simmering just beneath this explosion of rock energy, and so when it came, it was well worth the wait.

The last three songs were the strongest of the night. Beginning with The Woodpile, any of the three songs would have amply filled the position of the set closer. Scott introduced  Keep Yourself Warm by saying they promised themselves they wouldn’t play the song this year, but they wouldn’t be back for a while so it seemed necessary. And I think the whole venue would have agreed! Scott took the microphone from the stand and fell to his knees roaring “you won’t find love” during the rousing outro.

The set ended with The Loneliness and the Scream, a song which strays between reflective and chaotic, and live this battle takes centre stage, the musical result being quite breath-taking. The crowd continued the song’s final chant as they filed out into the night.

Verdict: This gig was a different experience entirely to any of the previous gigs this year. With a relaxed atmosphere backing it, it was easy to just sit back, watch, and get lost in the music. And, if you do have knowledge of Frightened Rabbit, your favourite imagery-loaded lyrics are guaranteed to send tingles down your spine.

The 1975 (Manchester The Ritz): Review

The 1975 – Review

Manchester HMV Ritz

September 21^st 2013

I booked tickets for The 1975 a while back, and in that time my opinion on the band went through several changes. The band emerged with two very impressive pre-album singles and a fresh sound; my initial feeling was of optimism. I then listened to the EPs and with that my optimism grew. B-sides such as Me, Antichrist and Head.Cars.Bending suggested that the lead singles were just a foundation for a much darker building – one with a few skeletons hiding in the closet. Then, with the release of the album I had a stroll around that building, and found a disappointing lack of substance.

It’s definitely a matter of opinion, but the band seemed to ignore the side of them displayed in the EPs and focused specifically on their other side: the side that would surely gain them wider mainstream acclaim. It’s fair enough. The album hit number one and The 1975 are enjoying instant success in a difficult industry. However, I wonder how the album would have sounded if those aforementioned skeletons had been given room to dance.

So the Manchester homecoming gig gave me a perfect chance to finally make my mind up on the band. Their stage set up stayed true to their artwork – a single outlined rectangle shone in the backdrop, powerful in its simplicity.

Despite the phenomenal demand for tickets, the venue wasn’t too crowded, and was filled with a mixed bunch (footwear choices ranged from pumps to high-heels). The 1975 arrived, wearing typically black and white attire, and began with The City, leather jacket cladded lead singer Matt Healy taking the microphone for an early walk around the stage and returning to centre for chorus keyboard duties. It was instantly clear that Matt’s voice holds up live, which was one of my worries, but he hit the notes effortlessly.

It is interesting seeing how bands with just one album tackle these kinds of shows, The 1975 worked it well, mixing their B-sides in with the album tracks - at this point, both are probably equally well known. My problems with the album seemed distant once I was soaking up the live atmosphere; songs such as M.O.N.E.Y have an enhanced and genuine sound when performed. Matt, now wielding a guitar, rocked out at every opportunity, his hair has a presence of its own.

There was a place for Head.Cars.Bending mid-set, but it was the following track, Settle Down, which provoked the first really bouncy reaction from the crowd. The band are definitely driven by the charisma of their lead singer, however drummer George Daniel deserves a lot of credit for his backing vocals. Daniel adds emphasis where it is needed, and he is definitely the unsung hero of The 1975.

Even Girls (the single which really made me question my allegiance to the band) had an annoyingly infectious presence in the set and left me with nothing to say about that more “poppy” side to The 1975. No, I still can’t take it seriously as a standalone song, but you have to appreciate a track which can get a room dancing.

A highlight for me was Robbers, a polished live song that they toured for a long while before the album came out. It progressively rises to a dramatic peak, both its sound and lyrically – and this translates brilliantly to the stage.

Healy addressed his home town, thanking them for the crazy year they’ve had, before counting into the band’s breakthrough single, Chocolate. He oozed confidence at this point, allowing the crowd to sing large portions of the verses while he mouthed the words from the edge of the stage. Obviously, the response from the audience was massive, and the main section of the set ended at its highest point.

“We want Sex” was the chant from the crowd, holding meaning for both the section of screaming girls, and also the group of waiting pitters who lay dormant until this point. The band returned, including a shirtless Healy who drew yet shriller screams from the girls, who then began Sex. A central pit appeared immediately - almost as if it had been there the whole time. The song is perhaps their strongest to date: the lyrics a summation of The 1975’s themes of teen-angst, the song’s strobe-friendly breakdown providing a moment of pop-rock brilliance best saved for late in the set. The finale was EP track You – and here, you could really feel the love in the room for The 1975. Healy stood on the drum kit during the outro, while the strobes flashed and the crowd bounced – the song earning its place at the very end of the set.

Verdict: Although the set was short (only a little over an hour), in that time the band managed to win me back around. They bring with them a feel-good atmosphere, which is created credibly by a fine set of musicians. The 1975 may have roots in the past, but they are a band who have a definite place in both the present and the future of the UK music scene.