"BE SO good to everyone you love. It's not a given. I'm so annoyed that it’s not. I didn't live by that standard and it kills me. Please, hug your loved ones. I'm away now. Thanks."
It was the final Tweet by Scott Hutchison, the singer, lyricist, and band leader of Scottish indie-rockers Frightened Rabbit, sent just before he disappeared on May 9 2018. Two days later, his body was found in the Port Edgar region near South Queensferry, west of Edinburgh.
The death of the 36-year-old, who Q magazine called a "gentle genius", and whose songs "mined the abyss and brought back a glimmer of hope", as Pitchfork noted, deeply shocked the indie-rock world. In a statement, the surviving members of Frightened Rabbit said: "He will be missed by all of us and his absence will always be felt, but he leaves a legacy of hope, kindness and colour that will forever be remembered and shared."
'All proceeds from the show will go to the mental health charities First Fortnight, and the Tiny Changes Foundation, the latter founded in May 2019 by the Hutchison family'
In Galway, a memorial to Scott was set up in the Róisín Dubh, and the venue will pay further tribute to him, and the band, with the Frightened Rabbit Revisited show on Friday January 17 at 8pm. An array of Irish bands and musicians will perform Frightened Rabbit songs, with each band playing three tracks from Frightened Rabbit's back catalogue - B-sides and rarities included.
The show is presented by Strange Brew and Labyrinth. All proceeds go to the mental health charities First Fortnight, and the Tiny Changes Foundation, the latter founded in May 2019 by the Hutchison family, and named after a lyric from the band's song 'Head Rolls Off'.
Tickets are available from www.roisindubh.net; OMG@Zhivago, Shop Street; and the Róisín Dubh.
