1000 Rabbits – Virgin Soil
Five musicians from Aldeburgh, Suffolk walk into a room, and after 50-odd shows across London’s independent circuit, they land on Young Records. Not bad for a debut. 1000 Rabbits — Laura (violin), Liv (synthesizer), Paolo (guitar), River (vocals), and Luke (drums) — have been quietly building something at venues like The George Tavern and Brixton Windmill. That second one matters: it’s the same room that launched Black Country, New Road, Squid, Black Midi, and Shame. Young spotted them there, and now we get “Virgin Soil”, their first studio recording.
The track has been road-tested hard. It started at The George Tavern and became the centrepiece of their live set, shaped by audiences and rehearsal rooms in equal measure. What ended up on record is tighter than the live version by design — the band describe it as “more consistent, less fleeting, but still ecstatic”. Laura’s violin runs against River’s phrased vocals while the arrangement holds a real tension. Luke’s drumming is worth paying attention to: he drops a break near the end that tilts the whole thing sideways, landing somewhere in the direction of drum ‘n’ bass before pulling back. It’s a confident move for a debut.
Being on Young puts them in the company of Sampha, The xx, FKA twigs, Robyn, and Kamasi Washington. That’s a label with range, and 1000 Rabbits fit into that tradition of British acts who resist easy categorisation. Their sound gets tagged as art-pop, but “Virgin Soil” pushes against current UK underground maximalism — it’s restrained, rhythmically driven, and leaves space. The band sum it up simply: “‘Virgin Soil’ represents our beginnings — experimenting together and making music with no rules. It feels right as our first track out in the world”.
Their headline show at Third Man Records in London (March 17) is already sold out. More dates ahead.
Tour Dates Europe:
- March 17 — London, UK — Third Man Records (SOLD OUT)
- May 14 — Brighton, UK — The Great Escape
- June 30 — London, UK — MOTH Club
