Face For The Radio Review

Rated 4/5

In a bold move, The View lift a track from debut album Hats Off To The Buskers that veers away from their tried-and-tested swaggering, loud-mouthed formula.

Face For The Radio, most notable in composition for its lack of drums, is a stripped-down acoustic number; gently melodic, refreshingly unpretentious, and vaguely reminiscent of The Libertines minus posturing and/or arrogance.

It’s a meandering, hazy summer’s afternoon of a tune that makes a pleasant contrast to their previous singles.
Not as incendiary as tracks like Same Jeans, with their jarring catchiness and frenetic choruses, it showcases a more mature side to The View.

Releasing Face For The Radio is perhaps a brave step, but one which ought to garner respect – if only for going some way towards proving that these Scottish braggarts are not merely one-trick-ponie

by Sally Cook, Manchester Evening News, 27th June 2007

The View Cancel Hove Festival Due To Illness

The View have cancelled their appearance at this years Hove Festival today (June 27) - citing illness as their reason.

The Dundee band – who have now been replaced by London outfit The Maccabees – had been due to play later this afternoon at the new Norwegian Festival.

The news comes just days after The View wowed thousands of fans at Glastonbury with a Friday slot on The Pyramid Stage and a Sunday appearance on The Other Stage.

By Jason Gregory, Gig Wise, 27th June 2007

The View/Ryan McPhail Design Guitar

The skyline of South Bank's More London area by City Hall has been transformed for a spectacular 10 week out door public art display, with the addition of 30 hand-painted 10ft high free-standing replica Gibson Les Paul guitars. Over 100 accredited members of the press turned up to photograph music legends Rod Stewart, Paul Weller and Keane sign their own hand painted 10 foot Gibson Les Paul guitar beside the iconic backdrop of The River Thames, Tower Bridge, The Tower of London and City Hall. Gibson Guitartown London is the capitals hottest free public exhibition bringing the power of music together with art in aid of charity.

Celebrating all things rock 'n' roll Gibson Guitartown London pays homage to the iconic electric guitar by bringing together the cream of the music industry including Noel Gallagher, Robert Plant, James Blunt, Slash, Kasabian, Graham Coxon, Brian May, Mark Knopfler, Ronnie Wood, Ozzy Osbourne, KT Tunstall, Mark Ronson, Razorlight, Stereophonics, The Kooks, Hard-Fi, The View, Kaiser Chiefs, Roxy Music, New Order, The Fratellis, Editors, Gallows, Dirty Pretty Things, Editors, Jeff Beck, Katie Melua and The Magic Numbers (to name a few) with over 60 visual artists including the great Sir Peter Blake and The Sunday Times caricaturist Gerald Scarfe, to create a unique charity inspired public art exhibition.

The View's Gibson SG guitar (pictured above) is now displayed in The O2 prior going under the hammer at an auction event in October..

All guitars, including an additional 30 hand-painted Gibson SG guitars on display within The O2, will be available to view for 10 weeks, with a star-studded charity auction planned for October 2007. All money raised from the sale of the guitars at auction will benefit Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, The Prince's Trust and Teenage Cancer Trust.

For more information on Gibson Guitartown London please visit.

www.londonguitartown.com

Big thanks to Jeremy at Guitartown for the details and photograph.

More Glastonbury Videos

Up The Junction

Same Jeans

Face For The Radio

Fireworks & Flowers

Dance Into The Night

Comin' Down

Wasteland

Typical Time

Videos courtesy of vickyb

NME Blog from Glasto

The View
11:13:39 pm

“I tell you something,” Kyle View drawls into the mic, as Frisbees ricochet off his boozy frame, “They Frisbees are beautiful, and ahm no bothered if one of em hits me, because it’s light. It’ll bounce off.”

Across the pit, ten, twenty, thirty Frisbees are being flung from here to there. Someone flings one, someone else grabs it, passes it on. It’s like some field of neon butterflies. And as the final rays of sun set over Glasto '07, it’s bloody lovely.

As are The View, whose Saturday morning stint seems to have cleared the pipes for a Sunday night set that sees them masters of their own material. When they fire up, it’s on all cylinders, and when they go mooshier than the mud that licks at the crowd’s shins, they’ve got a genuine, unforced sensitivity which often gets railroaded in their haste to give-it-some.

‘Superstar Tradesman’ ends their weekend, some bloke with green astro-turf for hair grins appreciatively, and a beach ball slathered in mud goes skittering across the crowd. Nice.

Best Song: 'Superstar Tradesman'

NME.com 25th June 2007

Glastonbury Video

Recorded from 'The Other' stage at Glastonbury tonight here is Wasted Little DJs, Don't Tell Me, The Don and Streetlights. Rest of the performance should be up during the week.

Download here

The View at Ibiza Rocks

Ibiza Rocks launched with storming sets from The View and Rumble Strips…

The third year of Ibiza Rocks with Sony Ericsson kicked off in style on Tuesday (June 19) as the Rumble Strips and The View brought their own brands of hyper energy to an island normally known for hands in the air house.
The 500 capacity Bar M in San Antonio bay was packed with pumped up holiday makers, gagging for an up-close and personal concert from the Dundee quartet.

Before the Scots took to the stage, however, West Country folk the Rumble Strips warmed the already sun-baked crowd with a selection of tracks from forthcoming album Girls and Weather, which is currently set for an Autumn release.
The punchy brass lines went down a storm and the energy from a band whose live performances are getting tighter and tighter really impressed.

After a short set from Manumission DJ Goldierocks, and amidst screams of "The View are on Fire," the first headliners of the summer stepped up and played an adrenaline-fuelled 17 track set.

Since the bar is so small, organiser Andy McKay has faced difficulties paying for the big bands to come, but he makes up for this by putting them up in a hillside villa and showing them the secret highlights of Ibiza.

The success of his method isn't just found in the list of bands that are playing this summer – which includes Kasabian, The Kaisers and the Arctic Monkeys – it's in the amount of energy he can get from them.

"Honestly," said frontman Kyle Falconer, towards the end of a set where the band never looked like flagging, "we haven't played for a week, but it feels more like a century. This is f******* fantastic!"

MTV.co.uk 22nd June 2007

Kyle & Pete interview at Glastonbury

NME.com, 22nd June 2007

NME report from Glastonbury

The reason that The View are so often on fire is that they persist on dousing themselves in booze. An early start after being spotted in bars in the wee hours of last night has subdued them somewhat - or maybe it's just Big Stage nerves. Still, they play a new one, 'Fireworks and Flowers', which features a man who looks like Damon Albarn's dad playing the trombone. It's all very Parklife.

Everyone starts singing to 'Face For The Radio', which is weird. Then, after they rocket out with 'Superstar Tradesman', the entire crowd pushes off as one. The Earlies' set next looks more likely to be The Empties. Shame.

Best Moment: When Kyle lets out a squawking high note during 'The Don', sounding not unlike he's giving birth to a bowling ball.

Best Song: 'Superstar Tradesman'.

NME.com, 22nd June 2007

The View brave the Glastonbury rain

Scottish indie pop sensations The View have played the first of their two Glastonbury Festival sets on the Pyramid Stage this morning (June 22).

The band got the early morning revellers going, despite the pouring rain, with a string of tracks from their chart-topping debut LP 'Hats Off To The Buskers', including the singles 'Same Jeans', Wasted Little DJs', 'The Don' and set closer 'Superstar Tradesman'.

Frontman Kyle Falconer told NME.COM that the band's Glastonbury debut was "really good"

Falconer and Reilly then went off to watch The Cribs on the Other Stage.

The band return to the bash to play the Other Stage on Sunday evening. They are one of a number of acts playing two sets this weekend.

NME.com 22nd June 2007

Ibiza Rocks Photos

Pics from The View at Ibiza Rocks last night.

View here

The View gear up for Ibiza Rocks launch

The View are gearing up for the launch of Ibiza Rocks with Sony Ericsson tonight (June 19).

The rave island is about to begin its third year of letting rock bands run riot, and it all kicks off tonight at the famous Bar M in San Antonio.

The Scottish indie stars have just finished sound-checking for their second year running at Ibiza Rocks, having played last year supporting The Automatic.

Tonight they headline above The Rumble Strips, and they're taking advantage of the booking by turning the trip into a holiday. After finishing a tour last week, the band arrived on the island last Thursday, and will stay for another three days.

Frontman Kyle Falconer told NME.COM: "We've been on tour for ages so we're just having a bit of time off. We've been coming into town, but mainly just sat by the pool. We've got out girlfriends out here."

"It's been a bit crazy. We're not usually into all that rave stuff, but 'When in Rome' as they say!"

Of their plans for the performance, he added. "It's going to be crazy. People go crazy enough at a normal View show, so here it should be even more mental."

Ibiza Rocks with Sony Ericsson takes place every Tuesday at the Manumission-hosted Bar M, and will feature appearances from Kasabian and Arctic Monkeys, among others.

NME.com 19th June 2007

Win a View vinyl box set

Scotsmen The View are set to release new single ‘Face For The Radio’ on June 25 and are offering fans a VERY limited vinyl collectors box based on the album artwork to house the vinyl from the all the singles. Nice.

We have just 10 of these boxes to give away and this is your chance to get one, you know how the next steps go…

This competition closes on June 20

Enter here

NME.com, 18th June 2007

Live at 1 Big Weekend EP

The View 'Live At 1 Big Weekend 2007' featuring 3 tracks is now available to buy from iTunes

Buy here

Face For The Radio Review

The latest and, in my opinion, one of the greatest tracks from the Views' debut album 'Hat's off to the Buskers' is finally released. This Dundonian Indie sensation writes yet another genius song that is sure to grace the tip of the charts. You'll notice the absence of drums replaced by a soft acoustic guitar riff, marrying some of Oasis' old stuff off to the Libertines, with a clear busk-style influence. Made even more effective by a lightly sung bunch of magical lyrics to the incomparable sound of the one and only Kyle Faulkner.

'Face for the Radio' is The View perhaps not at their very best, but near enough to it. It demonstrates the versatile nature of them as a band, that they can serve more than one purpose in a thriving Indie scene. Focused on creating some form of contrast between 'Face for the Radio' and their other discography, they've opted for a mild acoustic sound as opposed to the more aggressive upbeat Indie they are renowned for. A satisfying master-class rendition from possibly the best thing to come out of Scotland since The Proclaimers.

7/10

by Daniel Black, Contact Music, 15th June 2007

Downloads of The Week #8

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of The Beatles' legendary album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, multi award-winning engineer Geoff Emerick heads back into the studio to demonstrate the innovative techniques employed for the recording at Abbey Road studios back in 1967.

Hear Oasis, Stereophonics, The Zutons and Travis joining Geoff to witness and discuss how he first recorded the album tracks, as they record their own interpretations of one of the famous tracks, using the original analogue 4-track equipment.

Talking to BBC News about the recording, Noel Gallagher said: "Sgt. Pepper is special for me because I was born on the 29 May, and it came out on the 1 June, so when I was being born in St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, it was being played on hospital radio..... and it still contains some of the greatest Beatles songs, like A Day in the Life, and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

Heres a pick of the best recordings.

Pete & Carl - A Day In The Life

Oasis - Within You, Without You

Stereophonics - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)

The Zutons - Good Morning, Good Morning

Travis - Lovely Rita

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/

"Caner of The Week" Award

Caner Award for the night goes to THE VIEW frontman KYLE FALCONER, who was struggling to stand in the park’s VIP area.

The Sun, 16th June 2007

Oasis & The View Check out White Stripes

The White Stripes were watched by the likes of Oasis and The View as they kicked off the London leg of the 02 Wireless Festival at Hyde Park tonight (June 14).

After two 'warm-up' gis in the UK capital this week, Jack and Meg White played their festival show in front of a crowd that included Oasis bandmates Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer and The View's Kyle Falconer.

The White Stripes played only three songs from new album 'Icky Thump' (released June 18), the title track and single, 'I'm Slowly Turning Into You' and 'A Martyr For My Love For You'.

The rest of the set was made up from a series of older favourites including singles 'Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground', 'Hotel Yorba' and traditional set closer 'Seven Nation Army'.

Jack and Meg had two big screens either side of them which showed them and the crowd in red and white monochrome. Jack rarely spoke, other than to express his pleasure at playing in the park, and to express his awe at support act Queens Of The Stone Age's performance.

NME.com 15th June 2007

Same Jeans live on 'Rove'

The View performed "Same Jeans" on Rove, an Australian comedy show on 10 June 2007.

Download Video here

Download MP3 here

Same Jeans Acoustic from Oz

Kyle and Pete performed an acoustic version of Same Jeans for the Herald Sun during last weeks Australian tour. Download the audio and video at links below or just watch on YouTube.

Download Video here

Download MP3 here

Watch on YouTube here

Finding a New View & Acoustic Performance

The View's guitarist Pete Reilly and singer Kyle Falconer try to behave for NEALA JOHNSON

You had to cancel an American tour in May. Did that mean you got a break before Australia?

Pete Reilly: Nah, it's just been back-to-back. We cancelled that tour so we went on a European tour. Then we went straight to Japan after that, New Zealand, here, and we're going to Ibiza straight from here. It's f---ing mental.

How long 'til you crack?

PR: It's just fun really, isn't it? Good experiences. But there probably will be a cracking point (laughs).

Your debut album, Hats Off to the Buskers, came out in January. Have you started writing new songs yet?

PR: There's loads of tunes on acoustics, we've just not had time to practise. We've been busy.

Is the idea of album No.2 scary? How do you do it again?

Kyle Falconer: No, I'm looking forward to it. Can't wait to get stuck into it. Got loads of ideas. We're not bored, but you keep playing the songs over and over. We're missing that feeling of, when you have a new song you rehearse together and complete it, you're like "Yes! We've got it". And because we've just been gigging, we've not had that feeling in ages.

Kyle, what happened to you in Japan? How did you end up in hospital with septicaemia?

KF: I was wanderin' around Disneyland, no, DisneySea, with Grant, our manager, and I'd got new shoes so I got a blister and blood kept pouring out. I got blood poisoning, I had to cancel three gigs and just sit in hospital and be bored witless.

PR: They weren't cancelled gigs -- we filled in for you.

Pete, what was it like playing without Kyle?

PR: It was weird-like, strange. It was good to show the depth of the band, d'you know what I mean, because if something like that happened you could just cover it up, still go on with the show.

Kyle, did you hate that they were playing without you?

KF: No, I thought we were going to have to cancel the show, then I thought "Oh s---, what have I done?" But they filled in, so it was good.

Legend has it you guys have been living the rock life to the fullest.

PR (laughs): You've got to. Nah, it's been good. You get to see all different places as well.

Will you be able to tour America again? Thanks to a drug conviction in Scotland in March they're unlikely to give Kyle a visa, right?

PR: I think he just needs to behave for a wee while and then we'll apply again. I'm not too fussed about going to America anyway.

KF: We're just waitin' 'til they want us to come across.

Is trouble hard to avoid?

KF: It depends. Things seem to just happen, stupid stuff. It's kinda hard for it not to, though, four guys in a band.

The summer festival season in the UK should be a victory lap for you.

PR: Yeah, it'll be great. We're headlining Glastonbury and T in the Park, and we're getting helicopters from Ireland to Scotland to play different festivals on one day. That's real rock-band.

KF: It's a bit scary goin' in a helicopter, innit? I've not been in one before.

PR: He's gonna get off and go "I'm here!" (mimes throwing his arms triumphantly into the air -- and into the blades of a helicopter).

KF: I'll bungee on to the stage out of the helicopter.

You've said your song Superstar Tradesman summed up everything the View was about when you were starting out in Dundee, Scotland. Does that feel like a lifetime ago?

KF: Yeah. Superstar Tradesman, that's from when we used to practise in the pub, and you'd come up the stairs and all the tradesmen coming back from their work would just pat you on the head and go "Oh, you wanna be a rock 'n' roll star?' "

PR: It's just sad. Like tradesmen working 7 'til 7, Monday to Friday, just to stand in a f---ing dingy pub Saturday through Sunday, you know what I mean? It's pretty s---. It just makes you want to escape even more.

What's it like when you go home now? Presumably they're not patting you on the head any more.

PR: They're patting us on the back now (laughs).

KF: The last time we went back was really, really ages ago. But it was pretty hectic. You want to sit and just chill, but it's just mental. You go into the record shop and there's all these kids screaming. 'Cos that's the place where we want to go when we want to chill out, the record shop, but it's the complete opposite. And your mates think you're being weird; your mates go "You've changed". And you go "What are you on about, then?".

Is it time to move to a villa in the south of France then?

PR: No, I'm not going back to France.

KF: France is s---. Paris was all right, but the rest was really s---. We walked off the stage at one of the gigs. They just seemed like they're not interested, eh? It's hard to go back from big gigs in London and stuff to people who are just not interested.

What has happened in Dundee in your wake?

PR: Loads of young bands. Plus there's loads of big bands coming through -- Dundee has not had a big band playing for years, then all of a sudden Morrissey and Arctic Monkeys and all these bands are coming. It's definitely down to us as well.

KF: And a lot of record-industry people are getting on a plane to Dundee to look for new bands.

PR: Aye, Dundee used to normally get bypassed. They used to go straight to Edinburgh or Glasgow to find bands; now a lot of bands from Dundee are getting attention. We put it on the map.

Are you blase about playing with the likes of Primal Scream now?

KF: It blew our minds when we started playing with Primal Scream. But we were really close by the end. We've played with a lot of bands and they're all kind of stand-offish, but the Scream were like best buds. Mental.

PR: I've done a couple of gigs playing guitar for Primal Scream as well. That's the mind-blowing thing, when Bobby Gillespie asked us to play guitar for 'em on a TV program.

How different is it playing guitar for Primal Scream than for the View?

PR: It's just weird. It's more scary than with the View -- I'm comfortable with them, I can make mistakes and it doesn't matter (laughs). Playing with Primal Scream it's a bit like . . .

KF: And he played with Mick Jones from the Clash!

PR: Yeah. I was singing backing vocals into the same mic . . .

That sounds even more scary.

PR: Playing Rocks with Primal Scream and Mick Jones as guest guitarist -- that's pretty scary, like. But Noel Gallagher says I just made every one of them look old (laughs).

Once you play with Mick Jones, do your parents think you've made it?

PR: At the beginning they were like, "Just finish your trade and get something behind you". But when we started getting singles out and started charting, and they started coming to gigs and going on tour with us, they knew this was a job now.

See an exclusive acoustic performance of Same Jeans by the View

View here

by NEALA JOHNSON, Herald Sun, Australia, 14th june 2007

Win Tickets For iTunes Gig

The View aren’t ones for taking rock n’ roll slowly…

One of the first to sign to James Endeacott’s suitably rocking 1965 label, the Scottish four-piece has a reputation for recklessness. Riding mopeds through pubs, becoming acquainted with hospital beds, ‘conversing’ with the boys in blue — whatever they do, you can always count on The View doing it in fine rock n’ roll style.

Debut album Hats Off To The Buskers sounds like Oasis scrapping with The Libertines — which is hardly surprising, as it was produced by Owen Morris (who was also at the helm for Definitely Maybe).

Frontman Kyle Falconer has a gift for plucking glorious melodies out of thin air, and his renowned singing style (or ‘shriek’) has become instantly recognisable. The single that launched the band ‘Wasted Little DJ’s’ was a tribute to groupies and hangers-on. It has already become the band’s anthem.

And with The View’s raucous live shows earning the band praise both at home and abroad, the young Dundonian’s are well on their way to stealing Oasis’ crown of being the ultimate ‘band of the people’.

Register to win tickets here

iTunes announce month-long London festival

iTunes have announced a month-long music festival to take place at London's ICA throughout July.

The View are among the artists playing iTunes Festival: London.

The shows begin on July 1 and carry on over 31 consecutive nights, with at least two artists playing every night and over 60 bands playing in total.

Alex Luke iTunes director of programming and label relations told NME.COM: "Capturing live recordings has turned into a platform that has worked for us, in our Regent's Street store in our 'Live From London' series. We wanted to take it to the next level.

"The live shows we've captured have become very meaningful for fans. We saw an opportunity with so many artists coming through London at the moment, so it was a good time to ramp it up."

The gigs will be taking place at the ICA, with an audience of 350 specially selected fans watching.

"We really wanted to have an intimate show where the fans could connect with the artist," explained Luke of the venue. "We did not want it to be a huge performance, it was intended to be for the fans."

iTunes will be recording each of the shows and are planning to make songs from the shows available via their music shop.

The acts playing may also be planning some one-off performances for the shows.

"We always encourage the artist to do something unique, whether it's a cover or a collaboration," said Luke. "But in advance we can't say who will be doing what yet."

Tickets will be given away free via radio, TV stations and band and fan websites. The specific details of which will be announced soon.

The full A-Z line up so far is:

Amy Winehouse (July 25)
Athlete (13)
Beardyman (7)
Ben's Brother (8)
Beverley Knight (19)
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (4)
Crowded House (2)
Dhafer Youssef (16)
Duke Special (29)
Editors (11)
Gianna Nannini (15)
Goldspot (28)
GoodBooks (11)
Groove Armada (7)
Imogen Heap (10)
Jack Penate (27)
Jamie Scott & The Town (21)
Just Jack (26)
Justin Nozuka (2)
Little Man Tate (20)
Mika (1)
Mr Hudson & The Library (26)
Mutya Buena (7)
Paolo Nutini (14)
Stereophonics (20)
The Hoosiers (3)
The Pigeon Detectives (18)
The Rakes (18)
The View (9)
Tiny Dancers (13)
Travis (3)

More acts are expected to be announced soon.
For more information go to iTunesfestival.com

NME.com 12th June 2007

Learn Same Jeans on Guitar

Here's the backing tracks and tabs for Same Jeans put together by Total Guitar magazine.

Download here

Videos from The Tivoli, Brisbane

The Tivoli, Brisbane, Australia on 7th June 2007

Skag Trendy

Wasted Little DJ's

Typical Time

Gran's For tea

FACE FOR THE RADIO PRE-ORDER NEWS!!!

Hey folks,

If you pre-order the cd & 7" of forthcoming single "Face for the Radio", you will receive a fantastic 7" collectors box to store each of the 6 vinyls released from the album!! To pre-order follow the link below

Click here

Better still, if you have missed out on any of the previous 7" singles you can also order these from recordstore to complete your collection!
Full Tracklisting -
ECD
1. Face for the Radio
2. Streetlights (Live from Dundee Caird Hall)
3. Face for the radio (Video)
4. Dryburgh Style (Video)

7" etched Red Vinyl
A. Face for the Radio
B. Etched Graffiti

theviewareonfire.com, Friday 8th June 2007

DOHERTY DRUMS UP SUPPORT

DESPITE the fact trouble follows them around whenever they get together, Pete Doherty has persuaded The View to support Babyshambles in Scotland.

The first time they shared a stage, police arrested Pete and The View's drummer, but the bands are giving it another go at Glasgow's SECC on December 1.

Though chart-toppers The View have become the bigger of the two bands, they agreed to support Babyshambles as a thank-you for giving them their first break.

The View were discovered two years ago by Doherty after they busked outside his tour bus before a Babyshambles gig in Dundee.

The controversial rocker was so impressed he gave them a support slot in their hometown.

But the singer and The View's drummer were later arrested because police thought Doherty's car had been stolen.

It turned out to be a mix-up relating to the car's registration documentation and both were released without charge.

Tickets for the SECC gig are on sale from today and almost certain to sell out. The news coincides with The View also being confirmed as special guests to Leeds rockers Kaiser Chiefs at Edinburgh's Meadowbank stadium on August 24 as part of T on the Fringe.

Exclusive by John Dingwall, Daily Record, 8th June 2007

Buy tickets here

THE VIEW TO SUPPORT KAISER CHIEFS!

It's just been confirmed today that Scotland's own The View are to support the Kaiser Chiefs at their massive T on the Fringe Show at Edinburgh's Meadowbank on Friday 24th August!

This is great news for the band who love to play to a home crowd, and like the Kaisers, we predict a riot! This gig cannot be missed!

Edinburgh, Meadowbank - Friday 24th August

TICKETS ON SALE NOW HERE!

Happy Birthday Kyle!

The View at the Hi-Fi Bar in Melbourne. In between songs Kyle is presented with a cake for his 20th birthday.

Auckland Photos & Videos

Here some photos and videos from The View's show at The Kings Arms in Newton, Auckland 4th June 2007.

View here

Link courtesy of Jamesy

Live @ The Doghouse (Red Stripe Gig)

The View, The View… The View are on fire… there couldn’t have been more of a commotion at the indie upstarts homecoming gig if the band had actually walked onstage ablaze, literally anyway…

When The View left their hometown of Dundee at the start of 2006 they were unknown teenagers with futile wet dreams of Libertine-esque stardom, but on their return, - having conquered the world with their awesome debut album ‘Hats Off To The Buskers’ - they arrive as rock ‘n’ roll superheroes. They exploded through the doorways of dancehalls last spring with a sonic outburst of valiant mini epics, including the modern standard ‘Wasted Little DJs’, and gained instant support from a post-Libs country yearning for a freewheeling grindie band to fill that Pete/Carl hole left empty for too long. The boys captured perfectly the spirit of last summer and delivered some of the most legendary modern performances, including a volatile set at Leeds Festival and a hell raising intimate show at the infamous Sugarmill in Stoke. Even at the notorious Midland venue, with a swathing and explosive crowd, the atmosphere was lacking something, something only a home crowd can bring.

Their entrance to the room was reminiscent of returning astronauts or respected figure heads being paraded, the roar of the audience drowned out the sounds of reality and made this the most important place on the planet to be. On their last proper tour of the UK the band had to upgrade their venues to fit the continuously increasing fanbase inside, but the homecoming gig was special. It was small, awkwardly swelling and intensely impulsive. Cramming just a diminutive roomful of people into the forceful venue made the walls buckle with anticipation and like a stretched catapult, let rip once the Scottish idols adorned the boards. Their eyes lit up like rabbits caught in headlights, they burst straight into a set list riddled with number 1’s, classic urban poetry and the odd everlasting anthem. ‘Same Jeans’ and ‘Superstar Tradesman’ glued onlookers to the stage while ‘Skag Trendy’ and an untimely appearing ‘Wasted Little DJs’ drew them further and deeper in, captivating and almost kidnapping their attention. If the world had ended after this gig, the crowd wouldn’t have given a shit. The band played one of the best shows of their life, fuelled by appreciative and profoundly devoted spectators that waved their whole bodies like the apocalypse had struck and this was the final waltz. Each track banged into the next ruggedly and drove the whole show forward with the pace of a Hamster driven rocket car, out of control and massively exhilarating.

Anybody that can call The View a bandwagon group would have eaten their words if they’d managed to fit themselves into the exclusive show, as the Dundonian folklores played as good as any other band on the planet. The power of Arcade Fire but with the melodies of The Proclaimers, the barrage of tracks that embedded themselves in the minds of these lucky few bastards will remain there forever. Few concerts remain with you for the rest of your life, but this was certainly one of them. Roll on the next Red Stripe gig, eh.

by Alex Lee Thomson, Redstripe.net10th April 2007

Summer Festivals

The View's MySpace has been updated will all their upcoming appearances at this years festivals.

Visit here

The View to support Shambles tour

Scottish rockers The View will support Babyshambles for two dates during the band's winter arena jaunt.

Pete Doherty and co will be playing at Manchester MEN on November 22nd, Newcastle Metro Radio Arena on the 23rd and the Brighton Centre on the 25th.

They will then play Wembley Arena on November 27th, followed by Birmingham NIA on the 28th and Nottingham on the 30th.

The tour will finish in Glasgow - the scene of many raucous Babyshambles shows - with a gig at the SECC on December 1st.

The View will support the band at Birmingham and Nottingham, treating fans to the hits from their hugely successful album Hats off to the Buskers.

Doherty first gave the View a break when Babyshambles toured the UK last year and the singer handed the Scottish band a support slot.

They have since embarked on their own headline tour of the UK and will play at a number of UK festivals this year.

Babyshambles are putting the finishing touches to their second album, which will be released in the autumn and is produced by Blur collaborator Stephen Street.

Bassist Drew McConnell, writing on the band's MySpace page, said that recording with Doherty had gone particularly well this time around.

"What's clear now is this second Shambles effort is loaded with a bounty of committed and driven performances by our band leader and first amongst equals," he said.

The band will play at this year's Glastonbury festival on the Other stage.

In The News, 5th July 2007

Right Place, Right Time

The View lead guitarist, Peter Reilly, talks about touring recording and fighting.

Scottish rock ensemble, The View, has been plowing through the European music circuit playing every venue and festival possible including the Joe Strummer Premier. TV and Radio have been giving them a nod and a solid foundation for their music as well. The media never seems to skip a beat with these guys due to their youth, loud lifestyle and run-ins with the law. Crave had the opportunity to take to a phone conversation via the Netherlands. Guitarist, Peter Reilly spills some words about the tour efforts, the record, luck and fist fights.

Crave Online: So, you're in the Netherlands right now? How has your tour been so far?
Peter Reilly: It's good, man. It feels good to tour Europe...

Crave Online: Has the tour been moving smoothly?
Peter Reilly: Yeah, yeah. All the shows are sold out and there are more fans on this tour.

Crave Online: You need the support on your tour. Right? (Said with a laugh)
Peter Reilly: Yes, of course.

Crave Online: Tell me about the record. How have fans been taking to the music?
Peter Reilly: It's #1 in Britain.

Crave Online: What can you tell me about your live show? What makes it unique from other bands?
Peter Reilly: There's lots of energy and we don't play the songs the same every time.

Crave Online: Do you ever "jam" on songs? Can you just let go with your music?
Peter Reilly: Not really so much on the songs. During the set and sound check, we get a little bit of time to do it.

Crave Online: When you're playing live, what are you trying to impress upon your fans?
Peter Reilly: [With the View], it's not just about the music. It's about who we are as people. We can inspire people to be in a band. We're just four guys that did everything we could to make good music and start a band.

Crave Online: What are some of the influences that had some pull in the development of the View?
Peter Reilly: The Libertines, Fleetwood Mac... anything.

Crave Online: The View is quickly on the rise. At this moment, what in this band makes you want to be the musician that you are?
Peter Reilly: The best part about our situation is that we can get our music across, to travel and see the world, and to have stories to tell. The main thing is that we hope we get a good vibe across to the fans.

Crave Online: I suppose that's all you can expect... really.
Peter Reilly: Yeah.

Crave Online: Have you had any crazy experiences out on the road? Which one stands out the most?
Peter Reilly: Kyle [Falconer, vocalist] and I got into a fight and were rolling about on the ground. That's the most memorable crazy experience I have from this tour. I think we were a bit too drunk! [He laughs].

Crave Online: What's next with the View? Any upcoming goals?
Peter Reilly: Well, after the European tour, we will hit up as many festivals as possible. Festival season starts up soon and we are looking forward to hitting the road for that.

Crave Online: What are the plans with the US tour?
Peter Reilly: We have to get a waiver to keep Kyle out of trouble.

Crave Online: Well, I'm looking forward to you guys coming back this way to play the US again.
Peter Reilly: Yeah, I am looking forward to coming back as well. It was really good the last time despite what happened. I hope we can come back soon.

Crave Online: How would you describe the last tour? Was it a good experience?
Peter Reilly: Yes. It was a great experience. Not just for the gigs, but most of us in the band had never been to America. To see San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles was a really memorable experience for us. It was great, man!

Crave Online: How did the music take to audiences in the US?
Peter Reilly: Gooooood.

Crave Online: Did you guys play the Troubadour in LA?
Peter Reilly: No. We played the Viper Room.

Crave Online: That's a really great place to play in Los Angeles. The Viper is one of the last places in LA that still possesses a nice intimate vibe.
Peter Reilly: Yeah, that's what was good about the Viper Room. Good crowd, great people. It was definitely cool.

Crave Online: What was inspiration for most of your music?
Peter Reilly: Most of it is about the lives and stories that manifested from our experiences back at home in Scotland. A couple of the songs are about our close friends.

Crave Online: When do you plan on piecing together new material for the next record?
Peter Reilly: Right now, we are just focused on wrapping up the festivals. After that, we will start writing and then get into the studio.

Crave Online: What got you started as a musician?
Peter Reilly: I got a guitar when I was 15 and Kyle got one as well. We thought it would be cool to be in a band. That's how it all started.

Crave Online: Now that you have a little taste of going on tour and taking the View to the road, has there been any kind of motivation to play other kinds of music?
Peter Reilly: We're not afraid to be different. Our second album was already much different from the first.

Crave Online: So, where are going to take the music for your next release?
Peter Reilly: We are probably going to make it a little darker. The last record was bit "poppy" and I think it would be a good transition.

Crave Online: Has being involved with the music industry been much of a struggle for you guys?
Peter Reilly: No. Not at all. We just formed a band and got picked up. I guess we were at the right place at the right time.

Crave Online: Now that you are "in," what kind of advice do you have for other people attempting to be a part of the music business and get their music heard?
Peter Reilly: Make sure that you make a whole-hearted effort. If you only do it half-hearted, you'll never get anything done and your music will never be heard. We just decided to quit our jobs, get a rehearsal space, practice all day every day and get really tight as a band. That's how we did it!

by Mike Rudolph, CraveOnline, May 30, 2007

Glastonbury slots Announced

The View will play the Pyramid Stage on the Friday (June 22) at Glastonbury and The Other Stage on the Sunday (June 24).

Full Line Up