Photo: Lucy Bridger
Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison has spoken out about his controversial criticism of Mumford & Sons - saying that he was 'almost goaded' into the remarks and that would gladly 'shake their hands'.
The incident occured earlier this year in an interview with Spin magazine when Hutchison said that he 'hated' the band for 'shovelling the same old shit. However, speaking to Gigwise backstage at Glastonbury where both bands were playing, Hutchison said his quotes were 'taken out of context'.
"I said 'I think they're shit, I fucking hate that band' but the context is that I'd been doing interviews all day and in almost every single one, their name came up," said Scott. "That comparison is no longer valid. I think there may be some Frightened Rabbit songs that have something in common with Mumford & Sons but that really started to grate on me and I had a cocktail before my last interview.
"This interviewer almost goaded me into it. She said 'what do you think about the Mumford & Sons comparison' so I said 'that comes up a lot, I can see certain similarities in some places. So then she said 'I don't see it, I think your band is a lot better than them and I fucking hate them' so I replied 'Oh yeah me too - I hate them'. Then it got used as the headline and got all blown up."
Hutchison continued: "I can appreciate what they're doing and they make people happy and there's nothing wrong with that, I just wouldn't want to put it on my stereo. I'm sure I'll get the opportunity to walk past them at a festival this year if they don't get helicoptered in, and I would happily go and shake their hands. I feel that was taken right out of context and exaggerated."
We spoke to Frightened Rabbit backstage at Glastonbury Festival
Frightened Rabbit went on to play one of the best sets of the weekend at Glastonbury 2013. Reviewing their performance, we said: "The true victors of the day are Frightened Rabbit. You can barely see the John Peel stage for the sea of waving F'Rabbits flags and the swaying arms of their dedicated cult following. Frontman Scott Hutchison is charged by the deafening cheers as waves of love rebound from band to audience. It's a pretty humbling sight. Opening with 'Living In Colour', the Scot rockers effortlessly fire through a set of timelessly brilliant Americana-tinged folk."
Check back for our full interview with Frightened Rabbit later.
Frightened Rabbit are set to appear at Reading and Leeds festivals this summer as well as T In The Park and End of the Road. They will also be headlining Brixton Academy in London on Friday 8 November, 2013. For more information on all dates, visit Gigwise gig tickets.
Below: Photos - Mumford & Sons bring Glastonbury 2013 to a spectacular close
