Siren Festival 2009: Q&A With Frightened Rabbit's Scott Hutchison

"I don't mind rollercoasters, but some of those things that put you in a weird state of velocity are a bit upsetting"

Frightened Rabbit started to gain a following after last year's sleeper hit Midnight Organ Fight. With a sound that's relatively reminiscent of the early days of Bright Eyes, the Scottish four-piece has spent this year writing and recording their follow-up, a currently untitled release due in spring 2010. Expect one or two new songs this weekend, when Frightened Rabbit plays the Siren Festival Main Stage at 4pm, right before Grand Duchy.

You're headed to Coney Island this weekend for the Siren Festival.

We're quite excited for it, and I've never actually been to Coney Island.

What have you heard about it?

I've heard that it was a funfare. Exciting, but yet kind of rickety rides over there. Was it deemed unsafe and torn down?

No. It's still going.

Okay, so cool. That's good news then.

Is the idea of the circus or the carnival still active in the U.K.?

It's dying. But I don't know, they still tour. I was just in my home town and I drove past the local park, and to my surprise, there was an elephant wandering around in it from the traveling circus. But it looked kind of sad. It doesn't have a great image as far as particularly ethical. But I guess that's everything. There's still a romantic idea that lives inside you that's kind of childish, that wants the circus to be a cool thing. And for everything to be as it is onstage, but it's not.

Well, it must've been weird to just see an elephant wandering around.

That was cool! I was like "Whoa, an elephant!" You get that child like reaction to it and almost run your car off the road.

Do you have a favorite carnival game?

As far as rides go, I don't mind rollercoasters, but some of those things that put you in a weird state of velocity are a bit upsetting. But anything that requires very decent skills, like throwing something at something else and you win something cuddly, is fine by me.

What have you been up to this year? There's a new record in the works?

The recording is done and we finished it last week. We're getting mixed over the U.S. after we do a small tour that starts at Siren.