Review

On the back of some glowing recent reviews, there’s at least as much of a buzz tonight for Kid Harpoon as there is for the main act, not that that’s saying a whole lot. To this reviewer, they (he?) sounds like the Pogues, only somehow more self-aggrandising and eminently less likable.

Frightened Rabbit, a band equally strongly defined by the personality of its singer and chief songwriter, Scott Hutchison, fare rather better on this front. Between perfect frosty-but-funny stage banter;

Scott: “We’re from Selkirk.”
Audience: “Where’s that?”
Scott: “Round the corner from your ma’s house.”

and the touching tribute of obligatory novelty cover (N-Trance’s ‘Set You Free’) to his brother Grant (also the band’s drummer), the Frightened Rabbit frontman doesn’t put a foot wrong.

In an age of double-braced hardware, it’s also refreshing to see an ironing board used as a keyboard stand, and instead of a bass guitar there’s a telecaster crudely shunted down an octave. Sadly, a lot of the appeal of this band stems from their lyrics, which are barely perceptible tonight. ‘Be Less Rude’ and ‘Music Now’ are majestic on their lo-fi first album, but sound like above average indie-rock when stripped of their witty originality.

‘Fast Blood’, from the forthcoming follow up, sounds a little like our own Desert Hearts, and shows a new maturity to their songwriting. One has to strain to make sense of it here, though, and not many people are making the effort. My advice to you: make the effort. Niall Harden

Posted on: 27th January 2010

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