Frightened Rabbit interview

This weekend ukgigsandfestivals got a chance to sit down with Frightened Rabbit to chat to them about festivals, their upcoming tour and how they unwind.

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UKG&F: You recently played to a packed out Tut's tent at TITP and are this December set to play 2 gigs at Glasgow's Barrowlands, how does it feel to be playing to such large audiences and does it make for a different show?

Scott: Quite different, especially things like TITP, that was, first of all you knew there was going to be a few people to see us, but not quite that many. So it was a bit of a surprise still, to us. We're eternal pessimists, always expecting the worst. Yeah, it does change things. I mean, especially from the point of view of being the frontman I guess, you have to kinda change your style a little bit. Y'know, to reach right to the back, you can't just be this introverted singer/songwriter type character so I think you really have to adapt to your surroundings and things. It's kind of a challenge. It's nice.


UKG&F: The Winter of Mixed Drinks is still quite a new album, that is still fresh in everyones ears, but at the shows this winter will there be any new, possible 4th album, songs?

Scott: Nah. we haven't played everything off TWOMD yet so we'll try and do that. We're gonna go back, back to the first album. We're gonna dip into that a couple of times, just to kind of. Y'know how you look back and you've got 3 records. We're just gonna try and pick our favourite songs from the past 3 albums, and make a set out of it really. It's still a fresh album but we want to just play the best set we can. We haven't properly toured it (TWOMD) yet, we only did like, 2 weeks, It was the week the album came out, we didn't really know the songs. I hate seeing a band just a few days after a record comes out, 'cos no one knows the songs, you don't know the album yet. So we still felt like we had to weigh quite heavily or at least in favour, half and half of Organ Fight and new album. I think now it's been given time to grow on people we want to play a lot more of that stuff. And we've got used to the songs as well. They're not the same at the end of the tour as they are at the start of the tour. And we've now had a lot of time to get used to them so we'll hopefully be a bit more confident with that as well. There'll still be a few shit ones in there that we haven't played before, so don't worry. Most of them will be shit *laughs*


UKG&F: Is this the last festival of the summer for you and, other than TITP, which have been particular highlights, and why?

Scott: We only just yesterday got added to one in Spain, We're going to Barcelona in 2 weeks time.

Andy: (dryly) It's going to be horrible.

S: What's our favourite festival been? Probably in terms of the gig TITP for me

Grant: In terms of the festival, probably Lattitude.

S: We actually got to stay there and camp. Saw some bands, saw some brilliant bands no less. It was really good! The amount of bands we potentially could have seen, or that people would have expect us to have seen, because we've played so many festivals, y'know the number people think we've seen and the number we've actually seen.

G: It's quite a big difference so Latitude was good 'cos we saw some bands that we actually we wanted to see.

S: We camped out, it felt like being a punter again. It was nice. It's a really nice festival as well. It takes a long while to get there... it's like B roads for 2 hours!


UKG&F: You've been involved with the Music Like a Vitamin gig as part of the Scottish mental health arts and film festival for the past couple of years. This year Scott has taken part in the Fruit Tree Foundation album, collaborating with other Scottish artists. How did you get involved and why is it important for you to be a part of this?


Scott: Well we got involved last year. We played MLAV. The last 3 years they've just put on a concert. One concert each year and to just sort of kick off the film and arts festival, and so we played that. We got the show through Rod from Idlewild and then I kinda just kept in touch with him, and he mentioned that night that he had an Idea. He didn't know how the hell it was going to come together, or whether it was going to work but he asked me if I would be involved and I totally jumped at the chance, especially when he followed it up and said who else was getting involved with it. It was a total no brainer for me. Because I really admire all the people on the record as well. So, yeah, well chuffed to be involve with it! It's been really a new experience for me as well, working with other people, so it's been good.


UKG&F: Will the album only be available at the 2 Music Like a Vitamin shows, or will it be made available for those who are unable to attend the shows?


Scott: Yeah, initially it'll be just the shows but then they're probably going to release it more widely but I think it's just a case of, they really want it to be the first place people can get it for a little while, so that they come down to the shows and stuff, hear the record live.

Grant: It's more special y'know?

S: Yeah, it's a lot more special. It will obviously get released. It'd be silly not to as it's a really great record.


UKG&F: Is there any part of the world you've not yet had the opportunity to tour in that you have lined up, or would like to tour.

All: Japan!

Grant: It's not lined up but again if we went we wouldn't necessarily get to see a lot of it, but I'd definitely like to go.

Scott: After we've toured Japan we're quitting, it's the only reason we're carrying on.

G: So we'll probably never get to go then?

Scott: So now I've said that we're just going to have to look at it from a plane window.


UKG&F: Lastly, after spending weeks or months away on tour playing to thousands of people how do you relax and wind down?

Scott: Work my way through boxsets of American television. Shows that we've missed out on... I do like tv.

Grant: I've just moved house so I'm filling up my days with getting to know Dundee.

Scott: That's not relaxing, that's pretty edgy!

Grant: Yeah, I suppose.

Scott: There's a guy with toilet paper hanging out of his mouth!

Grant: That's not threatening, he's quite fun.

Scott: & Grant: He's a good guy.

Andy: I like to go home and hang out with my Mum. Go down the bakery.

Scott: Mum! Get your skateboard... we're going to the bakers!

Andy: I like to do that

Scott: Skateboarding with Mum *laughs*

Billy: I enjoy Bowling.

Grant: Boules though... lawn boules?

Billy: A wee bit of 10 pin as well.

Scott: Mix it up a bit. Go at the lawn boules with a 10 pin... really fuck things up.

Gordon: I have a healthy pattern of sitting on the couch and playing the Xbox.

Scott: Completed Red Dead Redemption?

Gordon: I have, and Harry Potter. Project Gotham... I'm really disappointed in myself.

Scott: *putting on posh voice* We also like to write songs and jam.