(image by Eimear Connolly)
I think it’s fair to say White Rabbits enjoy drumming. Last week when the New York band took to the stage at London’s The Garage venue, the set-up was fairly standard but only hardened fans would know the damage the second pair of drums should expect.
The six-piece have a strong percussion element to their music, giving each track a textured feel and real sense of momentum and drive. Kicking off with an Iggy Pop cover before treating the London crowd to tracks off debut Fort Nightly, including The Plot and While We Go Dancing. At the core of their set, Kid On My Shoulders blew everyone away, extending the song slightly and throwing on an overpowering emphatic touch with the second drums; it was a truly remarkable rendition.
These boys have got new tricks too though and new album It’s Frightening is certainly no slouch. The set was closed out with Percussion Gun, The Lady Vanishes and The Salesman, a fitting end certainly, and a long overdue London show that did not disappoint.
Live, even more than recorded, White Rabbits have an Arcade Fire touch to them, bar the strange, previously obsolete instruments, mixed in with a dash of Cold War Kids. Critics have said they went off the boil slightly on their latest album but their gigs could never talked down. Hopefully they’ll be back not before too long, and selling out bigger venues than The Garage too.