Frightened Rabbit schedule first gig since tragic death of frontman Scott Hutchison

The Selkirk-founded folk-rock band will play at the Kelvingrove Bandstand in Glasgow as part of a country-wide charity sleep-out on Saturday, December 8.

Having signed up for Social Bite’s Sleep in the Park event before Scott’s death, the band say that keeping the engagement is the best way they know to honour his memory.

The Frightened Rabbit frontman died, aged 36, in May following a battle with depression.

The band played at Social Bite’s Sleep in the Park fundraiser in Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens last year, and this time round they will curate the Glasgow sleep-out in a show billed as Songs of Frightened Rabbit.

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

Grant, Scott’s younger brother, said: “We had agreed to play Sleep in the Park before Scott passed.

“We felt that since it was for such a great cause, 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.

“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.”

Social Bite is aiming raise £6m from Sleep in the Park 2018 to continue its fight to eradicate homelessness.

Some 12,000 people are expected to take part in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee on December 8 in what has been described as the world’s biggest multi-city sleep-out.

Social Bite co-founder Josh Littlejohn said the Frightened Rabbit performance in Glasgow would be “incredibly special”.

“Frightened Rabbit were incredibly enthusiastic about being involved with Sleep in the Park this year, and we were really excited about working with them again,” he said.

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

“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.”

Since Scott’s death, fans, have donated thousands of pounds to the Scottish Association for Mental Health in his name.

A collection at last month’s Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival in Inverness-shire, at which Frightened Rabbit had been due to perform, was also given to the charity.

Grant said: “The outpouring of support for us and love for Scott since his passing has been immense.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of money raised for various mental health charities since Scott died and would like to say thank-you to anyone who has contributed to this.

“He has had such a massive impact on so many people’s lives, and it has been amazing to see so many people wanting to give back in Scott’s memory.”