Frightened Rabbit at the Barrowlands, 28th February 2013:

Frightened Rabbit are a band incredibly close to my heart.  Their second studio album, Midnight Organ Fight, is one of my absolute favourites, so much so that I used to force it into the hands of unsuspecting customers when I worked at Fopp.  You'd be surprised by the number of people who bought it on my recommendation without question (and hopefully they weren't disappointed!).  A week ago, the band played the final gig of their UK tour at the famous Barrowlands in Glasgow, and I was there with bells on.

Three Blind Wolves (above and below) kicked off the night with a short but sweet set.  I've seen them live a few times now, and they are an amazingly talented and energetic band.  Craig is a huge fan, and had fun singing every word down at the front.

I was slightly gutted that Three Blind Wolves didn't play their usual closer of choice (Echo On The Night Train) as it's easily my favourite song of theirs, but they are headlining their own tour in May.  I would definitely recommend that you have a listen to their music and check them out if they play a gig near you.  They are definitely a must-see live act!

Wintersleep (above) also played a set before Frightened Rabbit.  They are a Canadian band who I hadn't heard much about, but they went down well with the crowd.  Their sound almost reminded me of The Postal Service (lots of electronic synth sounds, and similar sounding vocals) but obviously the band have their own unique style.

By the time Frightened Rabbit came on stage, we were all extremely excited.  The crowd got pretty rowdy where we were originally standing (in the middle of the room, near the stage) and after getting elbowed in the face a few times and stood on repeatedly, I graciously moved over to the side a bit.  Okay, Mum, you were right all along, I should have worn sensible shoes...  Still, I can't get too upset about the energetic crowd, because Frightened Rabbit played a great set that deserved to be danced to!

It was obviously a very emotional gig for the band, and I think we may even have moved some (if not all) of the guys to tears with our chanting and not so in tune singing along.  The highlight for me had to be hearing tracks from their new album, Pedestrian Verse, played live for the first time, but you can't beat the old favourites.

After the gig, I picked up a commemorative Frightened Rabbit tea towel (of course), and I was also lucky enough to get my hands on a one of a kind drawing by the band's singer, Scott Hutchison.  The proceeds for the collection of 'beard' drawings all went to Cystinosis UK.  It was nice to be able to donate something to a good cause, and now I have an amazing piece of original art to keep forever!

Needless to say, I had a great time seeing some great Scottish (and Canadian!) live music!  I also saw Lianne at the gig, one of the lovely bloggers who hosted the Scottish Bloggers Valentine's Party.  Hi, Lianne!  Have you been to any great gigs lately?  Were you possibly at this gig?  Let me know!

I will leave you all with some footage I got of the Barrowlands crowd singing Frightened Rabbit out at the end of their final song, The Loneliness and the Scream.  I've seen this happen twice now, and there's not much more powerful than 2,000 people singing their hearts out together for a band they love.  Ah woh-oh oh ohhhhhhhh!