Watch Sam Fender cover Frightened Rabbit’s ‘The Modern Leper’ at TRNSMT

10 July, 2023

Sam Fender performing live on stage at TRNST Festival 2023 in Glasgow

Sam Fender covered Frightened Rabbit‘s ‘The Modern Leper’ during his headline performance at TRNSMT Festival over the weekend – watch the fan-shot footage below.

The North Shields singer-songwriter delivered a 17-song set on the main stage at the Glasgow event last Saturday (July 8) following appearances from the likes of Kasabian, Aitch and Inhaler.

Towards the end of the show, Fender treated fans to a stripped-back rendition of ‘The Modern Leper’, the opening track of Frightened Rabbit’s second album ‘The Midnight Organ Fight’ (2008).

That studio record was reimagined by various artists in 2019 in memory of the Scottish band’s founding member and primary songwriter, Scott Hutchison, who died by suicide the previous year.

Fender’s version of ‘The Modern Leper’ featured the musician’s guitar technician Fraser Fulton, also of the Scottish band Midnight Ambulance.

Sharing a clip of the performance on their Twitter profile, the duo wrote: “Well that was cool. Check out Fraser ripping up the main stage @TRNSMTfest with the one and only @samfendermusic for a beautiful @FRabbits encore. No you’re crying.”

You can check out the videos below.

TRNSMT Festival 2023 was also headlined by Pulp and The 1975, the latter of whom closed out the weekend last night (July 9).

Since the performance, Fender has taken to Instagram to share footage of the show, and celebrate the Tiny Changes charity, which offers support to those struggling with mental health. “Thanks for going wild in the rain TRNSMT,” he wrote. “We loved playing this cover… and would like to highlight the incredible work @tinychanges do to support the mental health of Scotland’s young people.”

The charity was founded in 2019, in memory of the band’s Scott Hutchison. Discussing the non-profit organisation with NME, Hutchison’s brother and Frightened Rabbit bandmate Grant explained how they wanted the musician’s character and personality “to be the drive of it, without too much focus on the end of his life.”

“Young people need a lot of help and attention, and it’s something that affects almost everybody,” said Grant. “Not every young person will suffer from poor mental health, but our approach is a preventative one. We want to give them the tools and the skills to deal with it, even when they’re at a point when they don’t need them.”

Following his death in 2018, NME’s Andrew Trendell praised Hutchinson for his ability to resonate with his fans, and his devotion to remain “unguarded in discussing the power of music on mental health”.

Close friends and collaborators also came together in 2019 to celebrate the life of the musician.

“We’ve lost a giant. He was such an amazing writer and such an amazing human being,” said Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie. “I think it’s been really wonderful to see in the tributes to him how much wider his music had gone than I’d ever really known. This music was as important to these people as it was to me.”

“Scott had this smile that just gave you hope and put a good slant on the day,” agreed Biffy Clyro’s Ben Johnston. “Scott was articulate but seemed to sum up the way that a lot of people in Scotland feel, but we don’t know how to say it. He was the voice of not only a generation, but a nation. I’ve just got so much love for Scott, for the band. It’s unquantifiable.”

Frightened Rabbit's Scott Hutchison
Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison. Credit: Pako Mera / Alamy Stock Photo

In other news, last month, it was revealed that Hutchison’s family were set to release a book containing the late singer’s artwork and illustrations.

Titled Living In Colour: The Art Of Scott Hutchison, the project began in 2021, when Hutchison’s family and collaborators collected the late frontman’s lyrics and artwork together for the first time. The book arrives today (July 13) and can be ordered here.

Additionally, back in March, The Twilight Sad came together to share a live cover of Frightened Rabbit‘s ‘Keep Yourself Warm’ in memory of the frontman.

The song was recorded on the band’s recent European tour supporting The Cure and was released exclusively on Bandcamp on a pay-what-you-want basis. All proceeds will go to Tiny Changes.

Last month saw Fender play two huge homecoming concerts at St James’ Park in Newcastle. In a five-star review of the second night (June 10), NME said that the “weekend will be a talked-about highlight in Sam Fender’s career for years to come”.

In the days running up to the gigs, a series of posters popped up close to the stadium, which appeared to tease Fender’s upcoming third album – the yet-to-be-announced follow-up to ‘Seventeen Going Under’ (2021).

Speaking to NME last September, the musician revealed that he’d already written a number of songs for his next record. He described the new music as “very pretty” with a strong “singer-songwriter” vibe.

Next month, Fender will headline Reading & Leeds 2023 alongside Billie Eilish, Foals, The Killers, The 1975 and Imagine Dragons.

For help and advice on mental health:

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