The Stool Pigeon

“I was almost run over by a slow moving tractor in the Borders one winter’s night,” says Scott of Glasgow’s Frightened Rabbit. “I fell to the ground and was confronted by death. From that day forth, I knew I had to start a band... a good band.”

Scott has more than achieved his aim, and plenty of others are keen to know: there’s been an extensive recent American tour, appearances on US TV, a deal with prestigious indie Fat Cat, and they’re currently running around Britain playing almost every night before Christmas.

But, for now, let’s go right back to the beginning of the tumultuous journey that made Frightened Rabbit the band they are today. Legend has it that Scott first began playing under the Frightened Rabbit banner as a support act for fellow Glaswegians Shitdisco. But don’t begin to think that Frightened Rabbit are remotely dance-based or, I dread to say it, nu rave. No, this three-piece specialise in sweeping, Mogwai-esque alternative rock cut with clever pop. And, as with Glasgow’s other great musical export of 2007, labelmates The Twilight Sad, the lyrical content remains firmly fixed to the ground, with their Scottish accents intact.

On the subject of his humble musical beginnings playing with Shitdisco, Scott says, “We played shows with those chaps simply because we are all good friends. It’s much more fun to have a night playing in a bar with your mates as opposed to some cunts you’ve never met who could be tossers.”

By 2004, Scott’s brother Grant had joined the band on drums, but it wasn’t until 2006 that the band reached the ultimate stage of their development, with the addition of Billy on guitar. An album was recorded in early 2006, 1000 copies of which were released on independent label Hits The Fan. Soon, however, things really began to take off, and Fat Cat began to express an interest. “We’ve known them for ages now,” explains Scott. “It just took them a long time to sign us. When they finally did, it was about a year after the Twilight Sad!”

In other words, Frightened Rabbit’s rise to prominence has not been the overnight success story we’ve become so accustomed to in recent times, and Scott believes the band remain “pretty obscure in relative terms”.

This state of ‘relative obscurity’ is changing fast, however. Speaking before they took off on their early November American tour, Scott says, “Half of the gigs are in support of US band Pinback, so those will be bigger shows than we’re used to - around 1,000 folks each night. On the flipside, if we pull in four people in Baton Rouge with our tiny headline show, I think that will be a success. It’s always a surprise to us when people connect with our music.”

Other than constantly touring, Frightened Rabbit are releasing a Christmas single, which looks sure to be a fun-filled three minutes of sleigh bells, product placement and carol singing. Or, perhaps not, although rumours are abound of guest appearances from Phil Collins and Bono, among others. While the validity of rumours is questionable, Scott can confirm that a 40-person choir will feature on the b-side: “We’re awfully proud of it. It’ll be quite special when it comes out in December. The release will coincide with a Fat Cat Christmas night, and the choir will be along then too.”

On the subject of other people’s music, Scott recommends The Twilight Sad, Toronto’s Rock Plaza Central, We Were Promised Jetpacks and Piano Bar Fight. And on the subject of Frightened Rabbit’s music, debut album Sing The Greys, has just been re-released, and there’s a new album due for next year. Much like that tractor all those years ago, expect both records to creep into your consciousness slowly over the coming winter, because Frightened Rabbit are not going to disappear anywhere fast. Except perhaps on their regular transatlantic flights, but that’s another story entirely...

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