Shock Horror at Vienna

Shock Horror. Recorded 26th March 2009 at the Gasometer, Vienna

Kyle - Don't Look Back In Anger

Kyle does an exceptional rendition of Don't Look Back In Anger on the Colin Murray show.

Dublin Gig Review

Review from The View's gig at Dublin Academy, 24th March 2009

‘The View, The View, The View are on Fire! This is the chant you’ll hear from the fans of one of the best and most notorious Punk/Indie bands of this century!


Why?


With Kyle Falconer at the helm as lead vocalist/ rhythm guitar, Pete Reilly – Lead guitarist extraordinaire, Kieran Webster – Bass/guitars/ backing vocals and Steven Morrison – Drums/Percussion, this band are exceptionally creative, with a knack for delightful riffs and catchy melodies. They posess wit which they use to the limit and also an accent that is hard to understand, but adds charm to their music. Young, energetic and loveable, they get under your skin and once there, will have you whistling or humming those sweet and cheerful melodies and Tayside shanties non-stop!.

 Beginning as a bunch of friends who played at school concerts and talent competitions, The View developed their sound and became a huge success in a short time. Having toured extensively, appeared in numerous Festivals, claimed quite a few awards and released their eponymous E.P., they went on to do an album Hats off to the Buskers in 2007.


This band has matured and honed their style, without losing the originality which gave them that edge. This year has seen the release of ‘Which Bitch’, a new collection of music that is even more entertaining and slightly more serious instrumentally than the previous album.

They may be a bunch of Clowns, but beneath that 'couldn’t care less’ surface, lies a remarkable raw genius that remains unscathed by commercialism. Their ability to come up with fun, enjoyable material is uncanny and continues to go from strength to strength.


Discovering on My Space that ‘The View’ were coming to ....Dublin...., I decided that wild horses couldn’t keep me away. So I headed into Abbey Street to see Kyle & Co., have a pint or three and a good night out. My only complaint was that it was too short. I could have listened to this band all night and considered going back for the second gig the next night!.


A good few people were already there when we arrived and I was pleasantly surprised at the age group of the audience. There were plenty in my own age group (not teenagers) and enough young guys and gals up the front, to add to the party atmosphere!.


Opening up the show were an Irish Rock/Indie band; The Brothers Movement, previously Mainline.


Members are Neill Plaxton-Guitar vocals, Danda-Guitar/vox/ Harmonica, Scott Glennon- Electric Guitar, Conor Plaxton-Bass and Andy Parks-Drums
.

They have a soothing sound and are currently promoting their album Blind. Neill has a pleasant voice which is well suited to the type of anthemic rock numbers they do. They did March of the Brothers, Is God Dead, Open Arms, Sister, War &Peace, Blind and Stand Still.

Harmony is really subtle in the slower songs such as ‘Blind’, which is an anthem with a U2 quality in it. Guitar riffs are great in the faster numbers and lots of distortion is used too. Danda does nice harmonica in spates here and there!....


This set made a good appetiser for the night ahead, but for me it was hard to concentrate on anything else but the fact that I was finally going to see the fab four from ..Dundee.. next!....


Glass Smash with its haunting intro almost sung in a choral ‘oh’ then bursting into a galloping beat opened up the main show.


A bashing beat, exciting melody and a fabulous seductive ‘Hey’ sung by Kyle in the chorus makes this a lovely number. Pete Reilly is a class act with his characteristic riffs and sliding smartass lead throughout and of course the throbbing bass bits and backing vocals provided by Kieran and Pete give this song a great sense of movement and anticipation!


5 Rebeccas followed and received a warm welcome from the crowd! F..ing amazing chord combinations, a delightful key change in the middle eight and although there is a poignant message in the verse ‘Solvent abuse can kill’ it also has a punch line that’s really funny in the chorus;5 Rebeccas all of them are close to me/ One of them’s a cook, the other one does history/ One of them’s my niece and one lives close to me/ The one I love the most has turned into a Junky!.

The wonderful unique View-esque riffs from beginning to end of this number, along with gorgeous close harmony injected in just the right places, made it an unforgettable experience. They do these fab harmonic ‘Ohs’ as it’s coming to the last chorus that are just the biz!.


Steven Morrison(The Drummer) stripped to the waist which didn’t upset me at all! I admired the way that they just jammed away, enjoying the gig themselves without any airs and graces. It was as if they were making themselves at home right there with the crowd at the Academy and it was a joy to encounter!.


Wasted li’l Djs which was first released as a single, also included in Hats off to the Buskers was third. With a fast rock beat, bashing intro and a delightful guitar riff it’s one of the nicest View numbers. It has a lovely melody and a distinctive key change midway through plus a sweet lead solo. Backing vocals add to the sound as in all songs and the arrangement is such that there seems to be loads going on throughout.


Kyle switched places with bassist Kieran Webster for one or two songs. Webster has a thick accent but a really nice voice!.

Realisation was one of these with gorgeous riffs, a choppy beat and delightful harmony. In certain numbers keyboards were played by Owen Morris. This guy is kinda like a fifth member of the band and has been producer and co-ordinater for all of The View’s recordings. When Kyle returned to the lead mike he played his beautiful blonde semi-solid guitar held in what I term ‘McCartney’ fashion. He does it justice too and despite his characteristic cool attitude, he seemed to enjoy this gig!


They did Wasteland, which the crowd went mad for and then the new version of Typical Time; ‘Typical time 2’ a sweet ditty with a cute piano riff intro and nice harmonica too. Short and candy sweet, this melody is really lovely no matter what the words are!


In my excitement I got the set list all confused, plus it was supposed to be a fun night out and I’d had a couple of drinks. Quite a few of the newer songs were played including Double Yellow lines which is a fabulous sing-along number. Also the quirky Temptation Dice which is a really memorable song was performed. The One off Pretender which is a rap with amazing lead riffs brought British band ‘Oasis’ to mind for me. This one has a great line in the chorus; ‘Shout it from the rooftops!’ Shock Horror which has great punch was done too!.


I think Distant Doubloon was in there too, one of my personal favourites from ‘Which Bitch’ it’s a magical song with flourishing piano riffs, a concerto-style tempo and a melody a little like a song from a musical comedy!


Like all of the songs on the new c.d. it is surprisingly mature and involves some fabulous changes of tempo and key to delight the senses. However it has cryptic lyrics and that arrogant cheek that a band like this not only gets away with, but make into a kind of signature in their song writing!


Favourites such as Superstar Tradesman, The Don, Skag Trendy and Same Jeans were performed on the night. The audience seemed a tad tame in comparison to what I have seen at The View’s gigs in videos. This gal certainly wasn’t tame seeing these numbers performed live!


On hearing the intros and wonderful riffs a la Pete Reilly, magical beats drummed out by Steve (Mo) Morrison and distinctive baselines played on that gorgeous blue guitar by Kieran Webster, I found myself singing out the songs from the old album word for word and punching the air with delight. Manchester United were playing their first leg of the Champions league on the same night and although I’m quite partial to the Red Devils, I wouldn’t have swapped this fabulous gig for a front row at the match.


On the way out, I bought myself a huge souvenir T-Shirt and had no voice the next day; the sign of a very satisfied customer!

By Angela Macari O’Looney

European Tour Blog - Days 3,4,5 & 6

Muenster

Well today we arrive into Muenster for our first headline show of our own. The German weather is surprising us as we’ve had slight snow and today were sitting outside the venue soaking up the Sun, well when you aint seen the sun for a while any excuse will do. We look inside the venue today to see what the venue is like, were quite impressed at how small the stage is but were not put off. If anything it will be a more interesting gig for the audience as you will be able to get quite close to the band even be able to smell them. You can make your own jokes on that one !!!.

When the show comes round the club is sold out and really buzzing as the last time we played our own show in Germany was nearly 2 years ago, so the band are happy to back playing to the German audience. They rip into the set starting with Glass Smash, then 5 Rebbeccas which send the front of the audience spilling onto the stage. This carries on at the start of Temptation Dice we have to pull a girl out of the audience as it getting a bit nuts. For the next few songs Kieren steps up too take over the vocal duties for a few numbers. The crowd go nuts for Gran’s For Tea even causing a few of the crowd to end up on stage again as there is no barrier to stop them being crushed. After some form of order is restored the crowd relaxes and sings along to Face for the radio giving it time to calm down a little, also the Kyle has a treat of sorts. Its another Oasis cover this time “Who feels love”, the whole band join in for this song then Kyle flys solo for his further Oasis fest with Don’t look Back in Anger. We head for the end of the show with the fantastic Shock Horror that sends the audience off on a High. Then its off to the Kebab pub across the road from the venue to kill two birds with the one stone. I think tonight was successful but definitely Left Kyle feeling a lot older than he actually is.

Hamburg

Today were back with Mando Diao for the first of 2 dates in The Freheit club in Hamburg. The boys are very excited about visiting Hamburg as it was the home to The Beatles for a while. So the head off to visit the Star Bar where the had a residency whilst I had a look at the venue. Instantly looking at the place it had the same look and feel of our very own Barrowlands ( by this I mean dirty & neglected so obviously the best place for a gig). After soundcheck a local tells us about the area the venue is in and were to avoid as were near the Reeperbahn, which is the red light area of Hamburg and especially this area as this is where the transvestites ply there trade. Many a smirk and soon full on fits of giggles, I don’t think any of them where wanting to venture out to the bus after dark. Its time for the gig, the boys pile onto stage in front of the packed crowd. The set starts with mixed reactions from the front row but there are quite a few groups of fans at either side of the stage and a few rows back that are dancing about like mad and soon The Freiheit is jumping to Same Jeans and Wasted Little Djs. Temptation Dice goes down really well even getting a couple of crowd surfers over the barrier. After the gig the boys are well lubricated and ready for their first night out in Hamburg. I head for the Hotel for some well needed sleep, I just wonder what trouble they can get into on the bars and clubs of the Reeperbahn?.

Hamburg (Second Night)

Well we all had a day off so it was a good chance for the late night partygoers to sleep off there first night in Hamburg and I think they needed it after getting from the pub at seven thirty in the morning. All a little hoarse after singing the night away in an Irish bar near the venue. On the day off me and Pete did go on a visit to Hamburg’s most famous football team St Pauli, just to visit the ground and the shop. Unfortunetly there was no game on but it didn’t stop us from coming out the shop with a St Pauli football top.

Today’s gig is nice and easy as we don’t have to load in or set up again as it was still in the venue from the previous show. Tonight’s second gig here seems to be more lively as before the band go on I hear the crowd singing “The View are on fire” which seems to set the pace as the band race through the set at blistering speed stopping briefly to tune up and take a short breather. My pick of the set would be Shock Horror and Typical Time 2, Shock Horror for the crowd reaction alone. Typical Time simply for the small sing along from the people in the front rows. Well another day off tomorrow and there is talk of going to Prague to spend it which would be a well spent day off, visiting all the historic buildings and such like, also heard the do some nice beer!!!.

Vienna

Unfortunately we didn’t make it to Prague yesterday something to do with our bus drivers working hours, shame. We landed on our feet though with a lovely day spent in rainy Munich, or should I say a Brauhaus in the centre of Munich, it’s a good way to spend a day off.

Today everyone seems well rested and very chilled as we all meet up in the venue for soundcheck and some dinner thanks to the lovely caterers. Were on stage at eight tonight so its not to long before were on and it’s a big hall were playing in tonight so the band are quite up for it as this is there second ever Austrian show. It gets off to an absolutely amazing start as crowd are going mental with the whole place erupting as Wasted Little DJ’s, Temptation Dice, Superstar Tradesman and Shock Horror causing the fans to sing and dance along. I was really surprised that the Audience took so quickly and well to the songs but obviously I underestimated the fantastic Austrian crowd, we salute you.

Davey Dial Up

Which Bitch? review

THE View first burst onto the scene in 2007 with Hats Off to the Buskers. This debut album produced hits such as Same Jeans, Wasted Little DJs and Superstar Tradesman for the quartet from Dundee, Scotland – frontman Kyle Falconer, guitarist Pete Reilly, bassist Kieren Webster and drummer Steven Morrison.

I’m glad to say that this follow-up is a lot more memorable than the first album. It is a little hard to catch Falconer’s thick Scottish accent at times, but pay attention to his singing and you’ll be treated to lyrics that are almost as entertaining as the songs themselves.

Right from the weary harmonica intro and the subsequent catchy piano beat of the extremely short Typical Time 2, this album consists of strong tunes which can be segmented into three distinct categories – the average, the good, and the masterpieces.

Let’s start with the average ones: Temptation Dice, Realisation, Shock Horror, Glass Smash and One Off Pretender though the last song does catch your ear with its strange The Streets-like rap-talk delivered by Webster!

Of the good songs, the first single 5 Rebeccas is a rip-roaring, somewhat raunchy, jaunt about five different Rebeccas, while Unexpected is unexpectedly The View’s most beautiful ballad yet. Then there’s Distant Doubloon, a carnival-style ditty that would not have seemed out of place in a Disney pirate musical (if not for the rather profane lyrics, of course).

However, good as those songs are, the masterpieces are even better. I dare you to listen to the rocking Double Yellow Lines and not want to sing along to the soaring chorus.

My personal favourite, Give Back the Sun, is a sunny little ditty with a wonderfully catchy chorus. Now, any other tune would pale in comparison to a song as infectious as that, but fortunately the album-closing Gem of a Bird is yet another masterpiece. Catchy, guitar-driven and singalong-worthy, it is tarnished only by the strange two-minute collection of outtakes at the end.

So there you have it, my favourite album of the year so far – one that I can loop endlessly for hours on end and not get tired of. Give it a listen, please.

By Michael Cheang, Malaysian Star, 29 March 2009

Tour Bus Antics

THE VIEW have given a unique insight into their drunken antics on the road - and they say going on tour is explosive.

Which Bitch? and Hats Off To the Buskers chart-toppers Kyle Falconer, Kieren Webster, Peter Reilly and Steven 'Mo' Morrison reckon the carnage they create during their 'vampire' like existence while gigging is second to none.

Guitarist Peter said: "Putting us on tour is like putting a match to petrol. There's booze in the dressing room, booze on the tour bus. We're going to f*** up at some point. We're like vampires. We sleep all day and we play gigs and creep about all night."

Singer Kyle added: "We've got loads of booze on the rider, but it's been drunk already. We love touring. It's a nerve-wracking experience because your sleeping pattern is messed up."
The Dundee wild boys are no strangers to controversy, having endured more run-ins with the police than most.

In 2007, guitarist Kyle was fined £1000 for cocaine possession and The View we re banned from America. Months later, the singer was hospitalised in Japan with a blood infection and the band vowed never to play Falkirk again when drunken fans began throwing bottles from the crowd.

The boys admit they were given a bit of hassle by the bus company before they were allowed on their tour bus for their recent UK gigs.

Peter confessed: "Even before we got on this one we were warned by the bloke who lent it to us not to mess it up."

Kyle added: "We've got the second best tour bus you can get.

The best ones go to bands like Kasabian. It's got bunks and three lounges, so it's pretty good."

The boys have even made up some of their own rude rules to keep a certain amount of order on the bus.

Bassist Kieren explained to this week's Loaded magazine: "The rules of the bus are that you can't s*** in the toilet and you can't touch anyone if they're in the bunk.
"If their hand is outside the bunk we can mess with them as much as we want."

According to Pete, the band can outdrink anyone.

He said: "Kyle was so bad on the last tour that the road crew started calling him Captain Mental.

"We love it. It's what we do this for. Nobody comes on our tour and drinks us under the table. We thought Primal Scream would, but they didn't."
Kyle added: "Mani was an animal - he can drink, but the rest of them were pretty quiet."

There is no doubt the boys live up to the rock 'n' roll reputation, but Kyle says reports of them being banned from the entire Travelodge chain for smashing up a hotel room were over the top.

He said: "That's be en exaggerated.

We didn't smash a room up, I just fell asleep in the bath and the next thing I knew there was water everywhere. It was definitely a mistake."

All in all though, they reckon the news of their antics is usually pretty spot on.

Peter added: "We like to get down and sometimes it goes over the top."

Read the full interview in this week's Loaded magazine.

By Beverley Lyons And Laura Sutherland, Daily Record 28th March 2009

Photos from Wiener Gasometer

Photos of The View supporting Mando Diao from Wiener Gasometer 26th March 2009

More photos here

Dutch Instore Shows

Vreemde ontwikkeling: ook al had jonge Schotse indierockband The View flink wat populariteit vergaard in Nederland en België met debuut Hats Of To The Buskers, ambitieuzere opvolger Which Bitch? is hier niet direct uitgebracht terwijl de plaat al weken in de Britse winkels ligt. Daar komt begin volgende maand dan toch verandering in: Suburban brengt Witch Bitch? op 3 april alsnog officieel uit in de Benelux, precies rond de clubshows van de band in Nederland en België. De echte fans hadden het album echter natuurlijk allang bemachtigd en gehoord dat The View er op los experimenteert met wat langzamere nummers en strijkersarrangementen. Dat is niet altijd even succesvol: de snelle, onstuimige liedjes zijn vooralsnog het leukst.

Om de verlate release alsnog als de bliksem stevig te promoten en te zorgen dat de fans de nieuwe plaat alsnog kopen, doet The View begin april ook enkele gratis toegankelijke optredens in Nederlandse platenwinkels. Het complete tourschema met clubconcerten in instore shows in Utrecht en Delft ziet er dan als volgt uit:
02 April 2009: Instore @ Plato Utrecht
02 April 2009: Show @ Tivoli Utrecht
03 April 2009: Show @ Doornroosje Nijmegen
05 April 2009: Instore @ Velvet Delft
05 April 2009: Show @ Melkweg Amsterdam
06 April 2009: Show @ Botanique Brussel

www.alternative.blog.nl

Kyle Collaborations

Kyle Falconer filmed with friends at the Gaslight at the Hideaway, Archway, London 15th March 2009.
Yer Blues with Kieran Leonard


Eleanor Rigby with Kieran Leonard


Get Back & Ticket To Ride with Kieran Leonard


Andiamo with Anto Dust and Ali Love


Glass Smash

See more videos of the night here.

For more info on Kieran Leonard click here.

Thanks to Leonie for finding these.

Hamburg Videos

The View live in Hamburg on 24th March 2009.

One Off Pretender


Same Jeans

Interview with Kieren

Can nothing stop these Scottish indie superstars? Dan Jones catches up with Kieren Webster of The View for a little chat and a whole load of beers.

Slammed in police cells, banned from the States and notoriously reputed as a lawless bunch of teenage tearaways, Dundee’s finest export, The View, are on the cusp of full blown, Heat magazine style success. Their second musical installment, “Which Bitch?” shot straight into the British music charts at a healthy number two, beaten only by America’s working class, blue collar sensation, Bruce Springsteen. It’s been an eventful old journey for these mop-topped rockers, and one that has resulted in a rather unexpected, if slightly warped, drug induced happy ending.

After around 20 dates in the last 21 days Kieran Webster, bassist from The View, is looking a little shattered. His pale looking skin and his shadowed eyes tell a thousand tales of rock and roll four day benders, sleepless nights and maybe a little too much party powder but he assures me this is the happiest he’s been on the whole tour. “Aye I’m well up for it, this is the happiest I’ve been, I like it here, it’s out of the way and it’s sunny” he gabbles as we sit down to a table of beers.

Three years have passed since the release of their debut. The grubby acoustic ballads and escalating Libertines influenced anthems that appeared on “Hats off to the Buskers” set in stone the potential of the guitar wielding scallywags, and set a rather high bench mark for their second coming.

Having worked with legendary Oasis producer Owen Morris on their debut, The View decided to work with the button-fiddling producer one more time. “It wasn’t different on a personal level“, Kieren told me, “We were still having the same banter and the same drinking and the same shenanigans going on…As far as musically he was a lot more involved this time than he was on the last time, he had a lot more ideas and a bit more input.” And it showed.

“Which Bitch?” surprised the critics. With their pens ready for a good slandering they were stopped in their tracks because something a little experimental happened. The Dundonian teenage upstarts had taken a bit of a different direction. The rusty squeal of a harmonica echoed on opening tack “Typical Time 2” and the brass handy work of Paolo Nutini’s trumpeter on “Covers” demonstrates that this is a band developing in both mental and musical maturity.

“Well that song with Paolo wasn’t even planned.” Murmured Kieren, “We had the song written right, and it was just meant to be Kyle on the track and it turned out that while we were recording and demoing the album he was in the studio down from us. We know him from like festivals and shit, and Kyle just asked him if he wanted to sing on this track. We had to borrow his trumpet player for like three days though which I don’t know if he was too happy about…”

We also see an appearance from Katie Gwyther on the album. Miss Gwyther is the ex-girlfriend of singer and guitarist, Kyle. She appears in the closing track of the album, “Gem of a bird”. The lovable tale of this very Beatles-esque acoustic melody was oh-so 60’s in its creation. Two guitars, the band and Katie in a circle and just one take. The outcome, a tentatively harmonic love song, crafted around the simplest of instrumental construction, and almost slightly nostalgic in its graceful presence.

And it’s songs like these that define the second album. Where “Hats off to the buskers” sounds slightly like stoned students with acoustic guitars, this is an album that showcases the development of four tender bairns into a world that’s completely uncompromising. The songs are about harder hitting subjects – drug abuse and bar time brawls have become standard occurrences, and even more so, standard song subjects. A recent gig at Koko in Camden for the NME awards shows saw it kick off once again, and this time The View weren’t anywhere near a right hook! “Our mate got in a fight with a security guard. But it was happening and we were still playing! We didn’t know what was happening at first, there was just scuffling at the side of the stage and we were doing the last song. As per usual though, the press blew it out of proportion.”

But what hasn’t been blown of proportion was in fact the blow itself. Kyle is currently unable to tour the States due to previous drug charges that prohibit the front man from entering the land of opportunity. “Yeah, Kyle’s not allowed to go at the moment .We’re trying to sort that like because obviously we want to tour there again and we can’t do it without him.” And even more surprisingly I’m told that “people think Kyle’s like well loud and that but he’s probably the shyest out of us.”

And as we continue our chat and the empty glasses pile I can see a lot of hope in Kieren. He’s a clever guy, he’s bought me countless drinks and he’s inspirationally enthusiastic about the smallest of things. As we make our way backstage Pete is nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, Kyle has risen from his slumber on the tour bus and is proceeding to hurl up copious amounts into a plant pot five minutes before stage time.

As my vision blurs slightly more I realise that Kieren has gone and got me drunk. Maybe it’s because he wants good feedback or maybe it’s because we got on so well, and if slightly naïve, I think it’s the latter. From the get-go I was a View fan. I enjoyed the first album and I’ve become quite attached to the second, but what it is, what really gets me is the spirit that lives in this band.

They are rock and roll to the highest degree, and it’s none of that cliché, Babyshambles, trilby-wearing bullshit that so monotonously treads the pages of myspace. They are a real rock and roll band because they simply don’t give a shit. And in a good way. They riot and rally about the lulls of society in their anthems, they criticise the establishment and all the capitalist trash that goes with it – And when this is all said and done, that is what rock and roll is about, four Dundee locals and a couple of guitars. A fairytale come true.

Daily Music Feed, 24th March 2009

Aremsee Sale

The View's artwork kingpin has put a couple of his latest creations up for sale. Have a look here and here.
www.ryanmcphail.co.uk

Photos from Münster

See more photos from the Gleis 22 gig here.

Free artwork print signed by band

Temptation Dice is released on 13th April. It's only available on a limited edition 7” with artwork by Ryan McPhail or download.

Pre-order the 7” here and you will receive a limited edition 7” print featuring artwork by Hannah Olivia Wallace signed by the band. This original illustration features in the Which Bitch? album artwork for the track Temptation Dice.

The band will be signing all of these limited edition prints.

The View at Gleis 22

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths Cover)

Kyle covers this amazing classic on board the tourbus in Germany.


Supersonic (Oasis Cover)


Don't Look Back In Anger (Oasis Cover)

Gleis 22, Münster videos

Gran's For Tea


Glass Smash


Typical Time & Face For The Radio

The View set for MTV Camden Crawl

The View are set to play the annual MTV Camden Crawl in London. Dundee's finest will co-headline The Roundhouse on the 25th April. Ticket details are below.

2 DAY PASSES £55.00 AND SINGLE DAY TICKETS £32.50
Tickets available from the following outlets:
24hr CC Hotline 0871 2200 260 / See Tickets 020 7403 3331
OR buy online: www.thecamdencrawl.com
Walk up tickets: KOKO box office, Rough Trade & Pure Groove record shops.

'In The Company Of' Tonight

Colin Murray chats to The View in his 'In The Company Of' feature going out on Radio One this evening.

Listen online here

The View at Gleis 22

Für The View ging es für uns also das erste Mal zum Gleis 22 nach Münster. Nach gestresster zweistündiger Anreise kamen wir dann doch noch pünktlich um 20:50 am Club an und wurden schon vor der Tür von einer entspannt netten Atmosphäre begrüßt. Im Club selbst waren wir dann nochmals überrascht - so hatten wir zwar mit einer kleineren Location gerechnet, hätten aber nie gedacht, dass wir quasi problemlos direkt bis zur Bühne laufen konnten, um uns schonmal eine gute Fotoposition zu sichern.

Um 21:00 ging es dann auch schon los - zuerst rockte die Vorband Bodhi Trees das Haus und wurde von allen Anwesenden sehr positiv aufgenommen. Doch die Vorfreude auf The View stieg mit jedem Track natürlich immer weiter. Nach einer guten halben Stunde räumte das Emmericher Quartett dann das Feld und der Vorhang schloss sich wieder. Und jetzt hieß es Warten… Warten… Warten. Nach weiteren 40 Minuten war es dann endlich so weit und The View betraten unter energischen Anfeuerungen die Bühne, wenn auch “leicht” angetrunken.

Nichtsdestotrotz legten sie einen Super-Auftritt hin, der altbekannte Hits wie “Superstar Tradesman”, “Same Jeans” oder “Wasted Little DJs” mit Songs von ihrem neuen Album “Which Bitch?” wie “5Rebeccas” und “Shock Horror” umfasste. Seine Liebe zu Oasis zeigte insbesondere Leadsänger Kyle Falconer immer wieder und so sang er zusammen mit den Fans “Don’t Look Back In Anger”, als der Rest der Band die Bühne verlassen hatte, um Pause zu machen. So wurden einem die vier Schotten von Lied zu Lied sympathischer und die Stimmung immer besser - kein Wunder, wenn man doch so nah an der Bühne ist, dass man von der Menge gegen die Mikrofonständer gedrängt wird. Nach gut 80 Minuten verabschiedeten sich die vier unter sehr positiver Resonanz dann auch wieder.

Als die meisten Besucher bereits gegangen waren und wir uns schließlich auch auf den Rückweg machen wollten, kam schließlich Kyle Falconer mit seiner Gitarre vor uns auf den Weg geschlendert. Recht schnell bildete sich eine kleine Menschentraube um ihn und es zeigte sich erneut, dass es wohl kaum Sänger gibt, die so persönlich mit ihren Fans umgehen. So sang er zusammen mit ihnen deren Musikwünsche und überließ einem Fan sogar für einen Song seine Gitarre. Mir fallen wahrlich nicht viele Bands ein, die ihren Fans Gitarrenunterricht geben und sich dabei mit ihnen eine Bierflasche teilen… die Alkoholeskapaden von Kyle Falconer lassen wir für unseren Bericht mal außen vor… So haben wir aus ihm nicht mehr als ein “Friggin’ great!” zur Frage, wie er Deutschland denn findet, herausbekommen.

Gegen 00.15 machten auch wir uns dann auf dem Weg. Geblieben sind durchweg positive Erinnerungen: Super Location, super Band, super Leute. An dieser Stelle nochmals einen herzlichen Dank an das Team von Gleis 22 für die klasse Unterstützung und die nette Beantwortung unserer Fragen - wir kommen gerne wieder!

Von den besten Acts wie “Don’t Look Back In Anger” haben wir auch noch Live-Mitschnitte - eine Veröffentlichung müssen wir aber leider erst mit der Band abklären. Ich hoffe auf eine baldige Antwort…

Nun wollen wir aber die Bilder sprechen lassen - bekanntlich sagen die ja mehr als Worte. Um eure Internetverbindung zu schonen, haben wir die Bilder alle auf etwa 1,7 Megapixel runtergerechnet und aus Copyright-Gründen mit einem Wasserzeichen versehen. Die Bilder liegen uns alle als hochauflösende Versionen (8 Megapixel) und natürlich ohne Wasserzeichen vor. Wenn ihr also einige Fotos haben wollt - kein Problem! Einfach kurz eine E-Mail an ok@wasgehtabinnrw.de. Natürlich kommen keine Kosten auf euch zu!

See gig photos here

www.wasgehtabinnrw.de, 22nd March 2009

European Tour Blog - Day 1 & 2

Well that’s us started our new European tour our first day was in Offenbach.

We arrived a bit bleary eyed after a long journey from London the night before. Were supporting the Swedish band Mando Diao on there tour. The Boy’s are up and very chipper about the htought of playing to a German audience. I think Pete said “ Im not even sure if there gonna understand what were saying between songs, probably for the best”. When showtime roll around it’s a strong crowd of 5000 people and when the boys go on I can see the groups of View fans around the crowd going mad and soon after the rest of the audience start getting into Glass Smash, by the time 5Rebbeccas up I hear the View Chant. Its 30 minute set were doing tonight so its fast and furious all the way but we still manage to run 5 minutes over. So after the gig we had to the chance to watch the Mando Diao boys show. I think Kyle might have another new favourite band as I see him swinging about in time to the music. After there show both the bands meet up for some aftershow drinks, me and our sound engineer Andy wish we could watch the first interactions too see how many times the word ‘Pardon’ is used. Soon after both bands head off to a club for some more bonding time.

The next day we head to Dresden in the east of Germany for another Show with Mando Diao, this gig is a t mobile street gig in a restored ballroom for competiton winners. As we set up the lads come in with some of there new acquisitions from the nearby music shop which include a Mandolin for Pete and Kyle goes for the ear friendly Saxaphone (oh the joys). The band goes on to a crowd the are really up for it when the band launch into Temptation Dice the crowd are singing along then Wasteland causes the crowd to erupt with a couple of crowd surfers nearly making it over the barrier. The band finish and then we meet up later for some food in this great Irish bar for some Guinness. We also realised that it was Friday night to some shock and quickly make up for this in a short time, returning to the bus about 1 to head off to Munster where were doing our first headline show of our own. Should be a good one.

Davey Dial Up

Which Bitch? review

Punk-Rock, Indie-Ballade, Operette - mit ungewohnt breiter Musikalität knüpfen The View an ihr 2007er Debüt an, liefern Momentaufnahmen aus ihrem jugendlichen Alltag und vergessen dabei den obligatorischen Mittelfinger nicht.

''Ich glaube nicht, dass es unsere Fans wirklich überraschen wird,'' meint The View-Frontmann Kyle Falconer zum neuen Album. Er behält Recht, wenn diese ein abwechslungsreiches, energiegeladenes, witziges aber auch ernstes Werk erwartet haben. Um den Übergang vom Debüt "Hats Off To The Buskers" fließend zu gestalten, wird kurzerhand mit dessem letzten Stück begonnen. "Typical Time2", rund eine Minute länger als sein dreißigsekündiger Vorgänger, ist ein verspielter akustischer Einstieg in "Which Bich?".

Von dieser Solo-Performance Kyle Falconers (Gitarre, Klavier und Stimme kommen allein von ihm) geht es ab in den melodisch-treibenden Indie-Rock. Assoziationen von Glasvegas bis Oasis blitzen auf. Die Songs fließen ineinander. Mit "Unexpected", einem eindeutigen Highlight des Albums, wird der Einsatz klassischer Instrumentierung eingeläutet. Erinnerungen an Indie-Sternstunden, wie "Disarm" von den Smashing Pumpkins werden wach. Doch die instrumentale Spitze wird erst mit dem komplett orchestralen "Distant Dubloon" erreicht, das wie eine Operette anmutet. Das Feld ist somit zwischen Klassik und Punk abgesteckt und die Rock'n'Roll Band kommt kaum ohne Ergänzung durch Tuba, Trompete oder Klavier aus.

Auf diesem musikalisch ausgereiften Bett tobt der authentische jugendliche Geist, der den Songs zusätzlichen Charme verleiht. Vom betrunken Heimweg ("Double Yellow Line"), ebenso feucht-fröhlichen Diskussionen mit der Liebsten ("Glass Charme") bis zu mysteriösen Bordell-Besuchen ("Give Back The Sun") platzieren The View Polaroids ihrer Gegenwart. "Temptation Dice" setzt sich hingegen weniger leichtfüßig mit den Versuchungen des Lebens auseinander. Vor dem Hintergrund der bekannten Ausschweifungen der vier Schotten entsteht bei diesem moralischen Titel der Eindruck, dass Wasser gepredigt wird... Einzig absolut seriöser Moment ist das erwähnte "Unexpected", dass den Tod von Falconers Vater verarbeitet.

Fazit: "Which Bitch?" strotzt vor frechem Humor, Authentizität und belegt die musikalische Weiterentwicklung von "The View". Da der Mainstream sich mit Blick auf die aktuellen Charts wieder verstärkt für Indie-Musik öffnet, sollten die Schotten spätestens mit diesem zweiten Album auch auf dem deutschen Markt Fuß fassen und künftig nicht mehr "nur" im Vorprogramm von Mando Diao und Co. spielen.

Kai-Uwe Weser, www.motor.de

The View in Münster

Zwar haben die britischen Charts in Zeiten der Downloaderei ein wenig von ihrem Glanz verloren, doch eine Nummer eins zu landen, bleibt für jede Popband aus den Königreich das Nonplusultra. Gruppen aus Dundee, einer tristen Industriekleinstadt in Schottland, die den Popthron enterten, suchte man bisher vergebens. Bis Anfang 2007 das Quartett The View auf der Bildfläche erschien und mit dem Debütalbum „Hats Off To The Buskers“ alle Mainstream-Stars zur Seite räumte und der etablierten Szene von ganz oben entgegelächelte.

Die Zutaten dieses Coups: schnelle, sehr melodiöse Indierocksongs mit Texten mitten aus den Lebenswelten der „Boys & Girls“. Nach dem ersten Album schien die ganz große Karriere zu winken, aber schnell spürten die vier, dass Trends nur ein kurzer Hauch der Geschichte sind. Kaum verließen The View nach ellenlanger Tour die Bühne, um neue Songs zu schreiben, entdeckten die Pop-Gazetten andere heiße Namen. Doch kleinlaut, niedergeschlagen oder orientierungslos klingt die Band nun, da die zweite Platte fertig ist, nicht.

„Which Bitch?“ verzichtet auf Anbiederung an den Massengeschmack. Stattdessen hauen The View mit Leichtigkeit schnoddrige Gitarrenhits aus dem Ärmel: Songs über „5Rebeccas“, die Verschwörungstheorien eines Freundes oder das Leben im Knast im benachbarten Aberdeen. Aktuell spielt die Band im Vorprogramm von Mando Diao. Damit es an den Pausentagen nicht langweilig wird, haben sie eine parallele Clubtour organisiert, welche die Schotten am Samstag (21. März) ins Gleis 22 führt. Glücklich können alle mit Tickets in der Tasche sein: Der Gig ist ausverkauft.

www.westfaelische-nachrichten.de

Ryan McPhail Exhibition

www.theedinburghcellars.co.uk

The View For Isle Of Wight

Returning Dundonian indie rascals The View have been added to the line up for this year's Isle Of Wight festival.

With strong ties to its history as a massive hippy free for all, the Isle Of Wight is rapidly emerging as one of Britain's finest festivals.

Combining smooth organisation with an eclectic bill that frequently snares exclusive performances the event is top of the list for a growing number of festival goers.

Last year's headliners included The Sex Pistols as well as reformed new wave legends The Police.

The View released their ambitious second album 'Which Bitch?' earlier this year, and will take to the stage bristling with confidence. Other new additions to the bill include Paulo Nutini - who actually makes a guest appearance on The View's album.

Also on the bill are Newcastle punk-funk types Maximo Park, London gloom rockers White Lies, The Rifles and many more. The Charlatans are set to perform, and have been entrusted with curating the line up for an entire arena.

Headliners this year will include The Prodigy, Stereophonics and Neil Young. Legendary songwriter Young is set for a busy summer after announcing a handful of headline appearances as well as sets at Glastonbury and London's Hard Rock Calling.

Isle Of Wight festival takes place between June 12th - 14th.

Temptation Dice video

Powerless to save Doghouse

Councillors in Dundee are powerless to intervene and help reopen music venue The Doghouse, despite the fact it was the council that closed it down, it emerged today (writes David Clegg).

The popular Brown Street establishment was shut on Tuesday when licensee Sarah Hill was sequestrated at the request of Dundee City Council for non-payment of business rates.

But Richard McCready, chair of the council’s Leisure, Arts and Communities committee, told the Tele elected officials could not interfere over the collection of the tax.

“There isn’t any room for leeway,” said Councillor McCready. “It would actually be illegal for us to suggest the council doesn’t collect its tax.

“But it is obviously sad for the music scene in Dundee that The Doghouse is closing.

“I hope some other alternative comes in — maybe a reopened Doghouse or some other venue.

“The Doghouse has played a big part in Dundee bands like The View and The Law that have been successful and raised the profile of the city.”

Councillor Bob Duncan, SNP group spokesman, added that it was very “disappointing” the venue had been forced to close. “It is very sad for live music in Dundee,” he said.

The councillors were speaking after Pete Reilly, guitarist with chart-topping Dundee band The View, said decision makers at the council should “hang their head in shame” over the closure.

He said, “It’s the end of an era. We all think it’s ridiculous, it wasn’t a massive amount of money and Sarah does a brilliant job of keeping that place going.

“It’s a fantastic place for bands to play and it’s where we really started out. Sarah gave us the use of the upstairs room and we practically lived there for months.

“Where will all the young bands hang out now? They’ve got nowhere.

“We’re gutted, I can’t believe the council have done this, it’s ridiculous, whoever made that decision should hang their head in shame.”

Dundee City Council moved to sequestrate Sarah Hill after she amassed what they say was over £10,000 in unpaid non-domestic rates.

Evening Telegraph, 12th March 2009

The View ask Oasis for support slot

The View have asked Oasis to give them a support slot on their world tour.

The band made the plea at the end of a new video for their cover of Oasis' 'Listen Up'. You can watch the YouTube video - which features the Oasis cover in full - by scrolling down now.

After the song finishes, a message comes on screen thanking Noel and Liam Gallagher, before stating: "Give us a support slot. please".

A second Oasis cover - this time of another B-side, 'Talk Tonight', by the Scots outfit has also appeared on YouTube.

Both covers were recorded by The View in Edinburgh on Monday (March 9). Watch The View's cover of 'Listen Up' below.



NME, 13th February 2009

Anger as Doghouse closes

THE View have lashed out at Dundee City Council after they closed down one of their favourite music venues.

The legendary Doghouse had to close its doors after the council sent in an accountant in bankruptcy on Tuesday.

The venue, a spiritual home for the Dundonian chart-toppers, was closed down over unpaid bills to the council.

A spokesman from the council said: "Dundee City Council applied for a sequestration order. We went to the Sheriff Court and asked them to sequester the person who is running the Dogshouse because they owed us money.

"The sum is in the region of £10,000 unpaid non-domestic rates."

The View's bassist Kieren Webster criticised the move, saying: "It's really sad and it feels like it's ripped the heart and soul out of the music scene in Dundee. Dundee Council should be doing more to help the music scene, instead they've ripped the heart out of it."

Singer Kyle Falconer said: "The Doghouse was where the manager saw us do our first ever gig."

Kieren added: "We're gutted, it's the end of an era, it'll be sorely missed."

There is a ray of light however.

Punch Taverns, who own the premises, said they hope to re-open the Doghouse in the not too distant future.

A spokesman said: "Our priority is to re-open the Doghouse as soon as feasibly possible.

"It is currently in the hands of the liquidators, so we are not in a position to give a timescale.

"It is a great music venue and we recognise its importance to the local community."

By Bev Lyons and Laura Sutherland, Daily Record 13th March 2009

Here, There and Everywhere

NME, February 2009. Thanks to Leonie for emailing in.

Album launch party, Kuala Lumpur

This Friday, your usual TAG night out will have something special going for it too - the album launch of the new The View release will be happening too! No, the band won't be there in the flesh but there's gonna be some fun stuff happening.

The Scottish rockers broke into the mainstream in 2007 after the release of their debut Hats off to the Buskers which spawned sing-along favourites like "Wasted Little DJs", "Superstar Tradesman" and "Face For Radio". The album topped the UK charts and was even nominated for the coveted Mercury Music Prize. (It lost out to Klaxons' Myths of the Near Future.)

Their latest album, which will be launched this Friday, is entitled Which Bitch?. Pretty, er .... bold title, wethinks. We hope that boldness will translate to the drink of the same name which will be created especially for the event. Give the drink a go; every tenth purchase gets a free CD!

The first single of Which Bitch? is entitled "5Rebeccas" and to celebrate that, the first five girls named Rebecca will also get a free CD and a free drink. And after all that, your regular TAG party continues till 3am.

www.klue.co.my

Which Bitch? review

Sound: After loving Hats of to the Buskers, I was always expecting to enjoy The View's latest outing, Which Bitch? The general sound of the band's last album was good, and they've managed to equal their first album with this sophomore effort. My favourite song on the album was Shock Horror, swiftly followed by Five Rebbeccas. The other songs on the album where also top quality. I feel that The View have definately progressed with their general sound, with a more varied selection of songs on offer. // 9

Lyrics and Singing: I enjoyed the lyrics in this album, especially liking the words from Shock Horror and One Off Pretender. I think they have taken a slightly more grown-up approach with their lyrics. The fingers voice has yet again in my opinion come out as a marmite voice. With the strong Scottish accent and the occasional screaming from the lead, you can either love it or hate it. I personally love it, as I think that it suit's the music that they are playing perfectly, but you might not agree. As well as the lead's voice, there are nice harmonies and alternate lyrics from the rest of the band in 5 Rebbeccas, and Paulo Nutini also adds a different dimension when he makes an appearence in the song covers. There is also the addition of a female voice in the final 2 songs of the album (Give Back the Sun And Gem Of A Bird) which I think sounds lovely with the leads distinctive voice. Overall I believe that the general singing and variety on this album is fantastic. // 10

Impression: I think that compared to The View's previous album Hats Off To The Buskers, Which Bitch takes its place as its equal in every way. Although there may not be as many catchy, radio-friendly songs on it, that is not a bad thing, as the album is still excellent. I love the voice of the lead and his accompaniments, and hate absolutely nothing. If this was lost or stolen, I would definately get it again. It's currently taking pride of place at the top of my playlist. // 10

Reviewed by mallen i am, ultimate-guitar.com

Talk Tonite

The View have also recorded a video for their new version of another Oasis tune Talk Tonite.

Footage for both this and 'Listen Up' were recoded over the space of three hours by Owen Morris on Monday night in Edinburgh.

Listen Up

Kyle and Kieren recorded a hilarious video for their cover of classic Oasis b-side 'Listen Up'.

Also starring in the video are Owen Morris, as The Sherrif and Marco AKA 'The Don' as Hitler and Ronnie Falconer as the 118 guy.

Early German release

The View's album is now available in the German iTunes store - 3 weeks before general release!

Which Bitch? review

The View, one of the bands in the class of 2007 that released a bucket load of brilliant tunes, have returned this year with their second effort, ‘Which Bitch?’ The album follows on from the hugely successful ‘Hats off to the buskers’, which reached number one in the UK charts on January 28th 2007.

‘Which Bitch?’, a 14-track LP released on February 2nd, is hugely different from their debut. Previous bands have often been derided, cast away and remembered as ‘one hit wonders’ when producing a second album not up to the expectations of the first. On first listen, it would be easy to dismiss this album as another that falls into that category, yet I will be the first to admit that it does indeed grow on you. After enjoying two years of the explosive first album, the listener is forced to adapt to a new sound incorporated by the band in many of the tracks.

Of course, the band has maintained some sense of identity, including tracks on the album that wouldn’t look out of place on ‘Hats off to the Buskers’. However, some songs really have an intriguing sound to them, with a particular favourite of mine being ‘Glass Smash’. To say it is fabulous would be an understatement. It begins with a choir like “ooh” before being rudely disrupted by the smash of cymbols and a volley of guitar chords building into a crescendo as vocalist Kyle Falconer opens the song. The song continues at a fairly fast pace building up before dropping into a eerie quiet, and as Falconer ends the line “glass went smash”, the drummer aptly replies with the sound of cymbols crashing. “I never claimed to be no angel” continues the Dundee-man as the atmosphere of the song drops into darkness. A cleverly arranged piece, it is thoroughly enjoyable.

But the changes do not stop there. It seems the Views experimental initiative, however mad it may seem, takes another twist and turn in the form of the following track, ‘Distant Doubloon’. It begins with classical orchestrated music of the type you would expect to be performed by Mr Turner and Mr Kane of the Last Shadow Puppets. The orchestra then provide an upbeat backing which can only be described as something you would expect to hear in the likes of Oliver Twist. However, strange enough, Falconers voice actually collaborates with the music in an interesting fashion. A listen to this is a must, as the lengths the band have taken to experiment like this must be applauded. However, in truth, I cannot see this particular track being a hit at the summer festivals.

The general composition of the album is very good, with tracks ‘5 Rebeccas’, ‘One off pretender’ and ‘Temptation Dice’ in particular providing an entertaining listen.

All in all, i think the View have managed to produce a satisfactory sequel, although it is not in the same rich vein as ‘Hats off to the Buskers’. That said, it is still a good album as you listen to it more and more especially as it is a ‘grower’, but one would hope they will be able to recapture the form of their first effort in their next release.

By Alex Read, deanlove.co.uk, 5th March 2009

Which Bitch? review

Rated 7/10

It’s that time again for another hugely hyped band to get back on the horse and release the all important second album, the same questions pose The View’s second offering ‘Which Bitch?’ as any second album, but with ‘Hats Off To The Buskers’ debuting at number one in 2007 you could forgive the boys from Scotland for taking just over 2 years to produce the follow up.


The album picks up essentially where the first album left off. Opener ‘Typical Time 2′ borrows its name from the last track from ‘Hats Off To The Buskers’ and is a charming folk-blues song with harmonica and piano a far cry from the opener expected. The first single ‘5Rebbeccas’ lines up second on the album and sounds vaguely familiar, despite failing to make chart success the song stands out as one of the main pop-rock songs that made the first album so successful.

The real highlights of the album come later though, ‘Temptation Dice’ set to become the next single from the album has a glorious 50’s style hook and lyrics centred around the need to take risks in your life, showing a real change in the band’s maturity, seemingly stepping away from the pop-rock mainstream success to experiment with older styles. A welcome breath of fresh air.

Paolo Nutini guests on the track ‘Covers’ a sweetly harmonised track that is distinctive and a personal favourite, ‘Covers’ is one of the few tracks on ‘Which Bitch?’ that refers to the well worn cliche of love and delivers its message brilliantly, pull the covers off your partner in the night!

The final two tracks, ‘Give Back The Sun’ and ‘Gem Of A Bird’ round things off in similarly engaging style, with both benefiting from the presence of some female co-vocals in particular ‘Gem Of A Bird’ drawing a close to the album with a sickly sweet acoustic ballad.

The View’s second offering ‘Which Bitch?’ shows a genuine progression from their first album, containing new methods and approaches to writing songs. There is still a long way to go to avoid album filler songs such as ‘One Off Pretender’ and ‘Jimmy’s Crazy Conspiracy’ but The View are certainly on the right tracks.

By Chris Frankland, thefourohfive.com, March 5th, 2009

Track by track with NME

Kyle and Kieren give NME a track by track rundown of Which Bitch?

February 9th 2009

Thanks again to Leonie for sending in.

Which Bitch? review

Rambling and hotch-potch, the sophomore album from Scottish louts The View could have been disastrous. But somehow the eclectic, adventurous, almost nonsensical collection of sounds comes together to create a delightfully messy sonic clash.

Opening with the harmonica-led riverboat ditty Typical Time 2, frontman Kyle Falconer's thick Dundee accent sounds strangely Jamaican as he croons to the simple piano refrain, making for one of the oddest, yet bizarrely appealing, tracks likely to surface this year.

Their first album may have seen them nominated for the Mercury Prize, but the boys aren't afraid to take chances and turn away from their original sound, experimenting with trumpets, recorders, organs and even ping-pong ball percussion (Double Yellow Lines).

Not that they have abandoned their signature sound completely. There are still plenty of searing indie rock tracks, complete with drunken, feisty singalongs that defy you not to smile.

But the orchestral arrangements of Oli Krauss bring an unexpected new depth to the band, similar to that heard on The Last Shadow Puppets' debut last year. Not that The View are anywhere near as serious as the Puppets. Superb though it is, the orchestral swoop of Distant Dubloon still accompanies a song about pirates.

Which is only fitting from these rogue musical cavaliers.

By Joanna Hunkin, New Zealand Herald, 5th March 2009

The View open Gibson Studio

The View opened the British Music Experience exhibition at London's O2 Arena by playing an intimate acoustic gig today (March 4).

The permanent music exhibition, which opens to the public next Monday (March 9) contains a range of exclusive personal artefacts from some of British rock's most famous names.

Items at the exhibition include Noel Gallagher's Union Jack Epiphone guitar, David Bowie's handwritten lyrics to 'Five Years' and Mick Jagger's '70s white jumpsuit.

The View (minus drummer Steven Morrison) played a short acoustic set in the exhibition's Gibson Interactive Studio, before answering questions at an impromptu press conference.

Speaking during the session, bassist Keiren Webster offered fans some advice on how to become a rockstar.

"Keep away from the beer," the bassist joked. He then pointed at bandmate Kyle Falconer and said "Make sure you keep your lead singer away from the beer too!"

The View played:

'Face For The Radio'
'Shock Horror'
'One Off Pretender'
'Superstar Tradesman'


Part of the new exhibition, the Gibson Interactive Studio gives fans the chance to learn how to play songs by the likes of The Magic Numbers and KT Tunstall, who have pre-recorded video instructions.

Those wanting to take part can choose from a variety of instruments including a large selection of Epiphone guitars, drumkits, keyboards and basses.

Among the other items on show at the British Music Experience are:

Clothing worn by:
Jimi Hendrix
Mick Jagger
Keith Richards
David Bowie
Roger Daltrey
Jimmy Page
Marc Bolan
Johnny Rotten
Mani
Jarvis Cocker
Kate Nash

Guitars used by:
Keith Richards
Bill Wyman
Pete Townshend
Brian May
Paul Weller
Peter Hook
Mani
Noel Gallagher
Graham Coxon
Jamie Cook

Handwritten lyrics to:
'Five Years' by David Bowie
'Why?' by The Specials
'Blue Monday' by New Order
'The Drowners' by Suede

NME.com 4th March 2009

Koko videos

Some good quality videos (particularly Distant Doubloon) from The View's performance at London's Koko on 10th February 2009.
Superstar Tradesman
Realisation
Glass Smash
Temptation Dice
Wasteland
Distant Doubloon
Shock Horror/Don't Look Back In Anger

Which Bitch? review

If, like me, you think of a revolting show starring a gaggle of physically and mentally ugly women when you hear the name “The View”, you’re in for a treat. This band has nothing to do with that show or those women. In fact, they’re about as far away as they can get. Instead of being pampered, old New York socialites, these guys are young, rowdy Scots. Instead of of spouting off misinformed opinions about things they don’t really understand, these guys write songs about what they personally know. And instead of kvetching about what other people are doing, these guys go out and do it. Their way. Which doesn’t always jive with what other people want. You know what? Fuck other people. These guys know what they’re doing.

The View started out simply enough as a group of Scottish teenagers who wanted to play some music, mostly covers. A funny thing happened though: they got good. After playing only two shows they signed a record deal. Their first album, Hats Off to Buskers, shot straight to #1 in the UK. They went from unknowns to stars literally overnight, meaning the pressure to put out a second album that didn’t suck was enormous. Could a bunch of kids manage to avoid the sophomore slump that’s consumed so many other bands?

Yep. The follow-up, Which Bitch?, delivers on the kids’ promise. Perhaps they avoided the second-album trap because they didn’t spend years writing the songs that ended up on their debut. Or perhaps they’re just good songwriters. Whatever the reason, Which Bitch? doesn’t disappoint. It’s full of energy, punk flavor, orchestral touches, and most of all, attitude.

The attitude doesn’t only apply to the music. This is a band that’s embracing classic rock behavior. They were banned from the pub where they started when the lead singer drove a scooter through the bar. They’re not allowed to stay at any Travelodge hotel in the UK after they caused over $13,000 to a room in Liverpool. The lead singer super-glued a witch hat to his head during the recording of Which Bitch?. If you like these guys you may want to listen up; they might not be around long.

“5 Rebeccas”
The first single from Which Bitch?, “5 Rebeccas” is a well-crafted punk/pop song. Not grating or aggressive enough to be true punk, it’s still more than pop.

“Glass Smash”
Ignore the ludicrous faux-Gregorian chant intro, this song really starts at about the 10-second mark. Once it gets going it sounds a bit like Mussorgsky interpreted by the Arctic Monkeys. Meaning it’s a bold minor-key composition, brashly performed. Or it’s just a good pop song. Take your pick.

By Sean Stansell, Pop Culture, 2nd March 2009

Falconer motorbike stunt

The View frontman Kyle Falconer has revealed how he was once banned from a Scottish pub because he drove a motorbike along the bar.

The incident took place while he and guitarist Pete Reilly were having a drinking session at their Dundee local, The Doghouse. Reilly said that the band would rehearse at the pub into the small hours, adding that one night things got rowdy and "Kyle drove a scooter along the bar".

Falconer said: "It wasn't a scooter, it was a motorbike. We were obsessed with scooters for a while and I got f***ed up so I drove it along the bar."

Drummer Steven Morrison added that he was once arrested after partying with Pete Doherty: "I was hanging round with him and he said, 'Do you want to go and see Dirty Pretty Things to p**s Carl Barat off?' So he went out and bought a Jaguar! We were flying round the streets and couldn't find the place," he told Maxim.

"We were literally about 100 yards from the venue and we got surrounded by these blue flashing lights and arrested. We spent 12 hours in the police station."

The Dundonian group recently revealed that they regularly receive gifts from members of the Japanese mafia, after being refused entry into the country because of Falconer's 2007 conviction for cocaine possession

By Sarah Rollo, Digital Spy, 1st March 2009

Caird Hall Photographs

Here are some amazing photographs of The View's homecoming gig at Caird Hall on February 13th 2009 taken by Colin McQuillen at TwoThumbsFresh.

See more of Colins work at www.twothumbsfresh.co.uk