The View from the top

Even after the band had departed the stage a crowd chant rang out. ‘The View, The View, The View are on fire,’ seemed to be the general consensus. And I thought such devoted hero worship was the preserve of FA Cup winning football teams.

Now I’m hardly at the point where I could call myself old but The View certainly set about reminding me that rock ‘n’ roll is most definitely a young man’s game.

When I was 18 I got into the standard 18-year-old scrapes but this Dundee fourpiece have already done more than most.
They’ve signed to 1965 Records with the svengali that discovered The Libertines, played support slots with Babyshambles and Primal Scream, had their first single enter the charts at number 15, and, if the rumours are to be believed, they’re going to be the next best thing since, oh, the last next big thing.

So it shouldn’t have been a great surprise to see the maniacal greeting afforded to The View inside a heaving Esquires.
Then again these things don’t happen very often, especially on the first night of a band’s first ever headline tour.
A special mention must go to Fruition, the support band, who keep popping up everywhere in Bedfordshire with their infectious, energetic pop-punk. ‘It’s not right to go down without a good fight,’ went the chorus of ‘Don’t Know (part one),’ refusing to let the headliners take all the glory.

When The View did come on an orgy of boys and girls fell over themselves to reach the front of the stage for the Teenage Fanclub song-smithery of the single ‘Wasted Little DJ’s’.

Every word of ‘Posh Boys’ and ‘Same Jeans’ were sung back at the band. Understandable when you can find them on Myspace. Yet when the same happened with lesser known tracks like ‘The Don’ and ‘Superstar Tradesman’ I started to think I was witnessing something very special indeed.

The good news is that they are returning to Bedford at the end of their tour on October 12 and on this evidence you’d be a fool to miss out. For now though even The View seemed amazed, but you would have to think they should get used to nights like this, and quickly, because for once the rumours may just be true

mk-news 09/08/06