Frightened Rabbit guitarist to honour Scott Hutchison with stage return

Billy Kennedy is ready to make a comeback with his new band after taking time out to get over his friend’s death.

Frightened Rabbit guitarist Billy Kennedy is gearing up to take the stage again, nearly five years after the death of his friend and bandmate Scott Hutchison.

Scott Hutchison took his own life in May 2018 after a long battle with depression.

The singer and song-writer's body was found at Port Edgar, near South Queensferry, on May 10 2018 after he was reported missing.

Scott Hutchison performing with Frightened Rabbit

His death was a blow to the Scottish music scene and left his family, friends and bandmates devastated.

Scott had led Frightened Rabbit from small venues to become one of the country's most respected indie bands.

Billy Kennedy will play his first gig with new project Haiver next week and says he thinks Scott would have liked the new project.

It took him a long time to get over Scott's death. While all of the other members of the band stayed on in the music industry, Billy took time out and retrained as a wellbeing practitioner.

The 38-year-old has suffered with his own mental health issues during the five-year hiatus from performing.

But he continued to write songs in that time and feels ready to share them. He also hopes to release a full album later this year.

He told the BBC: "There has been a lot to deal with over the five years - grief, my own depression, starting a family, and I was also trying to figure out what I wanted to do.

"Despite everything I continued writing songs, and now I feel I'm confident enough to start sharing them with everyone.

"I'm extremely nervous as the only people I've ever shared my songs with in the past was the Frightened Rabbit boys, and even then I was terrified they wouldn't like it."

He said: "I'm not Frightened Rabbit, I'm not Scott Hutchison - it's a completely different project - but I know my music will sound familiar.

"I took a lot from Scott - I looked up to him for more than 12 years.

"Being in a band with Scott, as well as Grant, Andy, Simon and Gordon - they were all talented musicians - means I will have taken a lot from them all.

"Scott always said I could write a good pop song and he liked my songs - a lot of what I've done on my own is based on him."

The Haiver gig at the MacArts in Galashiels is part of a benefit gig for the Harris Trust.