The View's Kyle on fire!

FRONTMAN Kyle Falconer wasn't quite match fit for the second date of THE VIEW's tour in Inverness, as the heat in the Raigmore took its toll.

Ironically, the following night in Forres, the venue was on the chillier side and the band had to encourage the crowd to jump around to warm up!

The sub-tropical temperature meant that it was a while before the crowd came up with the band's traditional "The View! The View! The View are on fire!" chant.

Maybe it just seemed too cruel when poor Kyle was so clearly burning in his own fires of hell.

"It's really hot, it's kind of like punishment, eh?" said Kyle, the sweat shining under his thick curls.

By Same Jeans near the end of the set, he was admitting "I feel as if I'm going to have a heart attack."

But he hung in there as the roadies flapped from the side of the stage with towels and some of the crowd threw the odd slurp of refreshing water on him. In return, the band offered the kind of value-for-money set any fan would kill to hear so close up.

After all, it's a long time in months – and in status – since The View were only up for filling tiny venues like the Raigmore.

But it was the band's choice to play the old familiar places so that showcasing the new material wouldn't seem so daunting in front of a much bigger crowd.

So packed was the place, that for anyone other than those who'd bagged their place right behind the barrier, it was a choice of 'Do you want to hear it properly and see nothing?' or 'Do you want to see Kyle's right ear and guitarist Pete's foot?'.

And yes, as usual, it was hard to hear the lyrics too clearly thanks to Kyle's stylised slur, but the atmosphere was electric.

And there was also the chance to catch Keiren Webster coming forward to perform the lead on his share of the band's faves.


The View – Kyle Falconer and Keiren Webster. Gary Anthony

New songs came quick and fast.

The set started with Glass Smash, straight into storming new single 5 Rebbeccas and through the set – as in tour opener Dunfermline the previous night – we got One-Off Pretender (about the band being banged up in Aberdeen and Kieren name-checked Grampian Police).

Plus there was Jimmy's Crazy Conspiracy, Realisation and possibly a couple of others that fitted in so well with the older hits that it was hard to see that the promised change of style for second album Which Bitch is going to be a huge shift.

Towards the end of the set, the crowd began to help out the worse-for-wear Kyle – one fan taking on vocals for Face For The Radio.

"This is one of the best songs we've ever done," Kyle introduced Shock Horror – and he might be right.

And by next song Same Jeans, he'd decided that the earlier crowd help would be appreciated here too. And the song turned into a brilliant pass-the-mike singathon with the front row pretty much word perfect.

Superstar Tradesman was the perfect ending – a big shouty thing with gritting their teeth through the steam to finish a set that may well be the last the venue'll see from Dundee's superstars-in-waiting.

By Margaret Chrystal, Highland News, 23rd October 2008