Frightened Rabbit to perform at Glasgow 'Sleep in the Park' event

Indie-rock band Frightened Rabbit are to play their first gig since singer Scott Hutchison's tragic death in May - as part of the country-wide 'Sleep in the Park' event in December.
Scott Hutchison performed with Frightened Rabbit at the first Sleep in the Park event in Edinburgh last December.Scott Hutchison performed with Frightened Rabbit at the first Sleep in the Park event in Edinburgh last December.
Scott Hutchison performed with Frightened Rabbit at the first Sleep in the Park event in Edinburgh last December.

A special performance will be staged at Kelvingrove Bandstand in Glasgow a year after the band appeared at Social Bite’s fundraiser in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh.

James Graham, vocalist with The Twilight Sad, will be among among a number of special guests performing with band members Grant Hutchison, Billy Kennedy and Andy Monaghan.

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The body of the 36-year-old frontman of Frightened Rabbit was found near South Queensferry in Edinburgh nearly two days after he was reported missing.

Frightened Rabbit played the first Sleep in the Park along with Deacon Blue, Amy Macdonald and Liam Gallagher.Frightened Rabbit played the first Sleep in the Park along with Deacon Blue, Amy Macdonald and Liam Gallagher.
Frightened Rabbit played the first Sleep in the Park along with Deacon Blue, Amy Macdonald and Liam Gallagher.

A host of Scotland’s leading bands and artists paid tribute to Hutchison, widely-regarded as one of the nation’s most talented songwriters, who had talked openly about his mental health problems.

Grant Hutchison, Scott’s brother, revealed that the group had signed up to take part in this year’s event before his brother passed away and had decided to go ahead with the gig and perform in his honour.

Social Bite founder Josh Littlejohn has also revealed the line-up of acts who will be appearing in Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

He is hoping 12,000 participants will raised more than £6 million by taking part in the event, which is being staged as part of Social Bite’s drive to rid Scotland of homelessness.

Grant Hutchison said: “We had agreed to play Sleep In The Park before Scott passed and we felt that since it was something for such a great cause that we should stick to our decision and honour Scott in the best way we know - to play the songs he wrote and continue spreading his message of kindness whilst supporting Social Bite and the amazing work they do.

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“It’s an honour to play for such a special event again and we felt it would be the perfect time for us to play together again and share this special night with some of our favourite artists.”

Mr Littlejohn said Frightened Rabbit’s appearance would be hugely poignant because of the expected turnout of the band’s fans to pay tribute to Hutchison and the “huge overlap” between homelessness and mental health.He said: “Frightened Rabbit were incredibly enthusiastic about being involved with Sleep in the Park again this year and we were really excited about working with them again.

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“Obviously we thought that was all off the table after what happene, but I met Grant a few months later at an awards ceremony, where Scott was honoured, and we got talking after that.

“The idea is to have a really special, unique, performance where they will invite a number of guest singers to appear on stage with them.

“It’s the first time the rest of the band will have played together since Scott passed away, so we’re really honoured that it’s happening at our event.”

It was announced in May that Amy Macdonald and KT Tunstall would be travelling by helicopter to perform at the four Social Bite events.

They will be joined by Lulu, Siobhan Wilson, Fred MacAulay and Irvine Welsh, in Edinburgh, Honeyblood singer Stina Tweeddale and Frightened Rabbit and friends in Glasgow, Kyle Falconer and Withered Hand in Dundee, and Eddi Reader, Kris Drever and Adam Homes & The Embers in Aberdeen.

Mr Littlejohn added: “I would like to thank all of the amazing music acts who are supporting the event, in particular Grant Hutchison and the other members of Frightened Rabbit, whose performance will be incredibly special and poignant.

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“Sleep in the Park will bring thousands of people together to raise funds so homeless people around Scotland are housed and given the support they need to get back on their feet.

“By joining the movement, participants can take part in an incredible night, enjoy some of Scotland’s best bands and know that they’re doing something that will really make a difference.”