Gig Review: 1000 Rabbits At Chat’s Palace

1000 Rabbits curate their own Rabbitfete at Chat’s Palace, enlisting rising star Jo From School, talented new outfit Visit Me and Windmill scene favourites Ziplock

It feels like you’re walking into a community centre for Rabbitfete, and that’s very much what it is – we are at the mercy of 1000 Rabbits’ curation for the evening, and they have enlisted a selection of killer names for us to join them on their off-kilter art-pop picnic vibes that tell stories through human sounds. It’s a unique band with a unique vision, able to evoke entire worlds in their souls.

Four bands are on tonight and first up are Visit Me, who have an air of adorable quantities to them – ‘Daystar’ is a charming EP and they run through the tracks with an awkward charm and sense of wit to their purpose. Maz Gilkes, Ben Nicholson and Lily Case have nestled in that ability where the artists play a kind of musical chairs on the night, maximising the sound out of their children’s keyboards to create an accidental prog rock that blends into pop forms.

Lily Casey and Maz Gilkes have been friends since childhood and their chemistry is evident on stage; and the patchwork vision of future pop to come is really well presented here with tracks like ‘Spin’ and ‘Red Flashing on the Pane’. It brings to mind the sort of music that you’d hear in SquareEnix’s Life is Strange in Max Caulfield’s headphones, only instead of an American high school we’re switched to beautiful East Anglian landscapes, perfect for the otherworldly, entrancing vision that 1000 Rabbits have set out to create for the night. The spell this band casts you under is evident here and I will be visiting me, again.

If you’ve been at the Windmill or the George over the last year or so chances are you’ve probably seen the hardworking outfit Ziplock perform. Their stint under the name BABYXL has gone down a treat, with their George Tavern set being available on Soundcloud at their Instagram for those who want an idea of what sort of sound you get, and the fact that they’re performing at Troxy’s Byrne’s Night – an evening of David Byrne covers, makes it known what band you’re getting. The hyperbeat of these tracks are exciting, pulsating and lively – a transition into a new chapter of what you’re expecting, more electronic, makes them instantly a must see.

Jo From school are next up, graduates of 2025’s Left of the Dial festival in Rotterdam and Brighton’s The Great Escape. Her lyrics as a singer/songwriter are absorbing, full of indie folk-rock melodies that range from chaos to nostalgia at any given turn. As a BRIT School alumni she’s aware of what makes her imperfect, and mistakes are what make keep the band honest and real. ‘Chicken’ and ‘Julia Roberts’ are the first two singles out from the singer/songwriter and both played on the night, the folk influence adding a touch of otherworldly bedroom sound to the indie rock origins.

The electronic sounds come through – there’s touches of Boards of Canada and Square Pusher here, adding a real unexpected edge in what is called the ‘sad lady’ genre; a rare crossover that further enhances the uniqueness of this music as it bubbles under the surface – yes inspired by Phoebe Bridgers, yes inspired by Big Thief, all of that’s there – but it’s the kind of sound that has its own voice to it that makes it appropriately distinct and powerful.

Any time you listen to a Jo from school track, especially when performed live, you’re seeing an artist with the confidence to emerge beyond her years, focused on doing things her own way. It’s kind of what an Adrianne Lenker-fronted Boards of Canada set would feel like in its early years of forming, mashing both the folk and electronic influences together, especially evident on the way ‘Julia Roberts’ builds and builds (not about the actress) and as a result; there’s few like it out there today.

‘Chicken’ taps into the vulnerability of youth and hiding, and being afraid – instantly honest and raw, helped by that unafraid desire to be human, the ‘ha, ha ha’s’ coming through in breath before the versus really gives it a unique signal to it. This is so intimate and vulnerable it feels like you’re observing a wistful storytelling laid bear in a powerfully personal therapy session. I’ve got her next supporting Saint Clair at the George and can’t wait to see what she can bring to the table. A day of ‘school’ named bands with Girl in the Year Above seems inevitable.

Headliner 1000 Rabbits really get the crowd bouncing, and we’re off and alive with everyone on party mode. It’s teased as a special set – we’re given opportunities for longtime friend Pozy to give a unique rap edge to their tracks in an incredibly unpredictable fashion that is just peak 1000 Rabbits, Pozy says he hasn’t played with them since nativity. It’s a band that is as honest as Jo from school. They have that endearing likability quality to them that makes them easy to champion, a band that feel like they are the pure essence of fuck it, DIY, yet intricately technical.

Tracks like ‘White Horse’, ‘Virgin Soil’, which drops a gentle verse before a chaotic dance drum and bass fueled explosion of excess and ‘Dance Do Better’ are deployed to immaculate precision – and all time favourite ‘Cinema Aisle’ gets a beloved run out. Much of this is pulled from the record ‘Are We Friends Yet?’ – a glorious EP – that shines in appropriate measures and steps. The crowd are here to dance, bounce – and just have a good time; the band encouraging their friendly and likeable theme by (I’m not sure if it was a permanent feature of the venue or just there for the night) having posters on the wall encouraging people to leave their emails; name and one secret about them. They are the next Black Country, New Road and a shining example of the Windmill scene allowing creative visionaries to shine outside the pop sphere.

When people put bands to Windmill scene names; 1000 Rabbits is a thriving example of its continued evolution as a genre outside of Black Country, New Road et al and its continued path forward. There are bands every bit as current as these doing things cleverly and in exciting ways without being sticklers for convention, 1000 Rabbits is one of those bands – the groove that goes into a XTC type feel that in the hands of someone lesser, could feel like a band throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks but that’s not the case here, they are in a world of their own when performed live.

I think it’s telling of the evening’s curation that I left wanting to see every single band again - eagerly awaiting Jo from school’s supporting slot for Saint Clair next week at The George Tavern, and 1000 Rabbits at Future Days festival in Birmingham with Gans, Adult DVD and more, in what’s sure to be a lively show as evidenced by their ability to get the entire crowd dancing.

Photography by Ché Deedigan