Frightened Rabbit, The Varsity, Minneapolis

Beginning the evening with an electronic and distortion-heavy set, Our Brother The Native opens with live loops, clever sound effects (a radio antennae stuck in an effect pedal), and high-pitched vocals off of their last album, ‘Sacred Psalms’. The Ann Arbor band work well as a small 4-man act, using limited instrumentation - no bass guitarist. They make as much noise as possible whilst still able to call it rock, though the band lack in sound dynamic throughout their entire performance (essentially a pure forte set).

On the rise of their upcoming release, ‘Perch Patchwork’, Maps and Atlases take the stage next, playing songs from their previous EPs. Rhythmically, they’re pristine; Chris Hainey, on drums, breaks down the beat supremely for the bearded frontline, who are also arpeggiating on guitars in perfect time. Clean riffs, fills, and bass lines makes for an engaging and driving set. Though, by the time this band have finished playing, one could only wonder whether Frightened Rabbit chose one too many openers.

Frightened Rabbit are instantly loved by the crowd, even before they start to play ‘Skip The Youth’, their opening piece. The Varsity transforms into something of a Scottish pub, as the swaying audience shout-sing along to ‘Loneliness and the Scream’, and ‘Old, Old Fashioned’. Each song the band performs (most off of their recently released, ‘The Winter of Mixed Drinks’ and older, ‘The Midnight Organ Fight’) was a non-stop flow of noise and energy. Towards the latter half of the show, the crowd are cheering and emoting so loudly after ‘The Wrestle’ and ‘The Twist’ that the band seem pink in the cheeks. Lead singer, Scott Hutchison takes a minute out of the coursing pace of the show to tell the audience, “When you get to the Midwest it’s the halfway point and you start to miss home, but then shit like this happens and it doesn’t matter anymore.”

The end of the show brings new single ‘Swim Until You Can’t See Land’, and the end to a fast-paced, drum and guitar-driven set. For the encore, Hutchison performs a solo rendition of ‘Poke’. This warmer, stripped-down, Damien Rice sound-alike is actually a great closer; if there’s one thing Frightened Rabbit could benefit from, it would be breaking up their sets with more acoustic pieces like this. Their live sound is rockier in comparison to their albums, taking away from their folk-rock image and sound. Frightened Rabbit do, however, fill every nook of the theatre with their fun-spirited music and personalities, making the rainy night worth it for all who attended.