Saturday, May 23, 2009

A Day In The Life

A short documentary filmed in one day in Manchester. Produced by Lance Santos. Contact Lance at lance.santos@hotmail.co.uk

Friday, May 22, 2009

More on Brazil gigs

More details on The View's jaunt to Brazil here.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Adidas House Party Gig

The View and Twisted Wheel are set to play free gigs in Manchester next month.

The shows, dubbed the NME Radio Presents The Adidas House Party Gigs, will take place on June 2 and 3 respectively.

Scottish rockers The View play Moho Live on June 2, while Oldham trio Twisted Wheel are set to rock the JD Sports store in the Arndale Centre.

For your chance to get hold of tickets head to NME.COM/adidas.

NME.com 21st May, 2009

The View prepare for Soccer Six

The Celebrity Soccer Six football tournament is back at Chelsea Football Club on Sunday May 24th where a host of stars from music, sport, TV, film and entertainment will descend on Stamford Bridge in a bid to be crowned champions of the most star studded celebrity sports event in the UK.

The View, Babyshambles, The Hoosiers, Joe Calzaghe, Omid Djalili, Lee Mack, Russell Howard, Danny Dyer, Tamer Hassan, Caprice, Nicola McClean, Bianca Gascoigne, Michelle Heaton, Justin Hawkins, Blue, JLS, Frank McAvennie, Neville Southall, Reverend and the Makers, NDUBZ, Nick Moran stars from Skins, Shameless, Waterloo Road, Causalty, Merlin, Big Brother and all the soaps with many more to be announced.

There is a very limited capacity at this event and all tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets are available now from Ticketmaster on 0870 534 4444 and www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.chelseafc.com/tickets, priced at just £12 for adults and £10 juniors.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Which Bitch? review

Rated 7/10

Choice Cut: Typical Time 2, 5Rebbeccas, Temptation Dice, Distant Doubloon, One Off Pretender, Glass Smash



"The View?" one asks. Isn't that the show where middle-aged women sit around a table talking? Well, yes. Obvious jokes aside, one could be forgiven for not having heard of The View - a relatively new indie band who has earned rave reviews for their 2007 debut, Hats Off To The Buskers. 2 years on, they're back with their sophomore album, the somewhat inappropriately-titled Which Bitch? (In case you're wondering, singer Kyle Falconer explains that it's short for "Which bitch am I singing about in which song?" Yeah.)



For the uninitiated, their sound, an eclectic, frantic mix of indie, post-punk and pop, reminds one of The Libertines or The Fratellis, and indeed the lads from Dundee have been touted as one of the successors to The Libertines' throne. Big shoes to fill, I'm sure. 



Their follow-up effort, then, deserves some credit. Not content to simply replicate the same sound as before, write a dozen more songs for the fans to lap up and call it a day, The View gives us a much different-sounding album compared to Hats Off. The same gleeful irreverence so evident in the album title is sprinkled throughout the album with singles like "5Rebbeccas" and the rap-rock hybrid "One Off Pretender". 



Their songs, about rip-roaring anecdotes such as accidentally visiting a brothel instead of a hostel only shows just how much fun they're having on this album, and the music only backs this up. Shallow? Maybe a little, but it's still more refreshing than the zillionth depressing song about how fame's changed the band forever. The View definitely sounds like a band who's having nothing but fun, and this cheerful exuberance extends to their music as well, with a wide and varied mix of sounds - from old West style saloon music, "Typical Time 2" opening the album, to the distinctly pirate-inspired "Distant Doubloon", easily one of the highlights of the album. 



"Which Bitch?" does have its share of faults, though - while it's great that The View experiments with lots of different sounds on this album, it could be more than the sum of its parts. It begins to drag midway through the album with somewhat uninspiring songs like "Covers" and "Shock Horror". 



Overall though, it's a gamble that pays off. Even though it wobbles somewhat in the middle, the creative and vivid imagery behind Which Bitch? proves The View is no flash in the extremely hot pan of the music industry. The View looks good from here.

By Lai Han-Wei, MTV Asia, 20th May 2009

Acoustic Set in Glasgow

The View played an invite only acoustic set at Glasgow's Sky Park before last Thursday sell out show at the O2 Academy.

Shock Horror


Same Jeans


Superstar Tradesman

Interview & Acoustic set

Interview with German TV show POP10.

POP10 is a weekly broadcasted musicshow from the Central Germany region.

www.pop10.de

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Brazilian Festival details

Details of The Views festival appearances in Brazil can be viewed here.

Which Bitch? review

Which Bitch? by The View. I missed the first CD titled Hats Off to the Buskers so I heard these guys from Scotland for the first time with this one. And I have to say that this is one more proof that Brit bands do have this unique flair for rock music, a fearlessness that keeps them from being beholden to tradition. The View is very good. Its melodies have this very commercial sparkle that makes the loud rockers such fun to listen to. And loud or soft, fast or slow or whatever, melody is what still counts in the music business.

That is not all these guys do. They also like to experiment and do provide nice surprises in the album. Best among these is having an orchestra play in Distant Doubloon and guesting hot young tenor Pablo Nutini in Covers. Their other important asset is Kyle Falconer. You know how much a rock band needs a good vocalist in order to excel and Falconer is The View’s key to becoming great. He can be sweet and whispery one moment, then wail you to hell in the next. And he sounds good every time. Best tracks here are 5Rebeccas, Shockhorror, Temptation Dice and Covers.

By Baby A. Gil, The Philippine Star, May 20th, 2009

Glasgow Academy review

Dundee has spawned two of the most legendary British comics of all time, The Beano and The Dandy, however, this evening's export is certainly not the kind of thing you would want showing up on your doorstep on a Thursday morning to entertain your small children.

Fans of The View are no strangers to The Law, who have followed their friends around the country for some time and as such receive a warm welcome from the Glasgow gathering. Singer, Stuart Purvey, carries himself with all the swagger of young Gallagher, having the charisma and vocal chops to back those swinging shoulders up.

Balls-to-the-wall opener 'Don't Stop, Believe', (no, not a Journey cover), has echoes of Ocean Colour Scene's 'Hundred Mile High City', a swinging stomp that's screaming for a Friday night pub sing along. The irony of introducing 'Still Got Friday To Go' to a Glasgow crowd on a Thursday night is not lost on Purvey, saying "It is Thursday night after all..." If you were in the audience and didn't realise that the essence of this band is the truest homage to the real hedonistic spirit of Rock 'N' Roll, then, what's wrong with you?

Their whole set seems like the perfect soundtrack to a night's hard drinking, even throwing in some "Oi, oi!" action on last song, 'Hot Rod', that you won't have heard since you were at that Discharge gig way back when. You are about to hear a lot about The Law, get used to it.

The chants of, "Ooh, ah, up The Law, ooh ah up The Law", eventually fade into "The View, The View, The View are on Fire", and The View open with, 'Glass Smash' , from, 'Which Bitch?'. Singer Kyle Falconer, brandishing his red Gibson ES-355 all the way up to his chin, stands on his tiptoes, while seemingly hiding behind the thick, curly, mop that rests atop his head.

'Wasted Little DJs', suffers from a technical issue also, with bassist, Kieren Webster's mic malfunctioning enough to force him stage right in favour of guitarist, Pete Reilly's mic. Ploughing through a mix of new material, ('Temptation Dice', '5 Rebeccas') and tracks from, 'Hats Off To The Buskers', ('Skag Trendy', 'The Don') the band break from the electric to a short acoustic set, the highlight of which being, 'Mr Men Book', before returning in full for, 'Face For The Radio', in which Reilly stands on a flight case situated in the pit, conducting the crowd as they sing along.

It can be difficult enough to understand a Dundonian accent three feet across from a Dundonian, but over a P.A. and a wooly mix, it's damn near impossible, as Falconer mumbles away in his thick dialect. It could be the meaning of life and everything else, but honestly I can make head nor tail of it!

Pulling everyone back in with the crowd-popping, 'Same Jeans' (with the crowd overwhelming Falconer's vocals in the chorus) and the undeniably brilliant, 'Shock Horror', we finish on a high.

By eGigs.co.uk, 18th May 2009

Photos from London Forum

The View played to a sell out crowd at The Forum, London Saturday 9th May 2009
Here are some images from the night.

Photography by Lauren Towner.

Glasgow Academy review

Like a defender after a series of fouls, The View were on the verge of a second yellow with ELM. Yes, we’d seen them in the first, euphoric rush of joy emanating from the early singles and triumphant debut album ‘Hats Off to the Buskers’. Yes, we’d been caught up in just how great their wonderful, folksy pop sounded like a fully-realised Libertines. But then we’d seen them in full-on ‘too pissed to perform’ mode. And not just once. Basically, they didn’t seem to give a fuck about their audience, and we were starting to reciprocate.

Thank God for tonight’s show then. The place is going properly, officially, mentally barmy. The reaction to the pre-gig tape of classic indie (Stone Roses, Oasis, Primal Scream) goes down better than most bands do. There are singalongs. There are pints thrown. And while it’s undeniable that The View attract what you might euphemistically call a ‘working-class’ audience then well, by Christ, are they making this place intense. It’s absolutely amazing before they’ve even come on.

But fair play, when they do arrive, it’s astonishing. The band are simply superb; the tracks from second album ‘Which Bitch?’ gain a liveliness they haven’t had on record. The tracks from ‘Hats Off…’ are greeted like old friends bringing you back presents. ‘The Don’ unbelievably rackets the noise up a decibel, which seemed impossible. ‘Jimmy’s Crazy Conspircay’ sees more liquid thrown in the air than your average shower. The noise is phenomenal, the band feeding off it. You want to talk about synchronicity Sting? Be here.

And the level of care, something they’d forgotten about before, is here and apparent. There’s an malfunction with the electric guitars; lead man Kyle simply slaps on an acoustic and plays for three songs. It’s an incredible tour de force. B-Side ‘Mr. Men Book’ (”I can read you like a fucking Mr. Men book”) is a lost classic. The sojourn is so great that bassist Keiran re-enters the stage when everything is fixed and says ‘that was fucking brilliant wee man’ and he’s right.

They play a fantastically fun cover of ‘Up the Junction’ before we get the obligatory and brilliant ‘Same Jeans’ and their defining statement ‘Superstar Tradesman’. Yes, The View aren’t turning up any trees in terms of new music, but anyone who says they’d rather watch Radiohead live these days is either lying or related to Jonny Greenwood. This is live music; this is about drink, dancing and having a good time. And sometimes that’s enough. Tonight certainly is.

By Extreme Listening Mode, Posted on May 18, 2009

The View Set Manchester On Fire

Dundee upstarts The View take their spring tour to the Manchester Academy. A riotous affair, Gigwise photographer Shirlaine Forrest was lucky to make it out alive...

See images here.

Gigwise.com, Friday May 15, 2009

Monday, May 18, 2009

Street Fighting Man

DYKEENIES drummer John Kerr ended up with sore kidneys and blood all over his jacket after rescuing The View's Kyle Falconer from a street fight.

John jumped in after the Dundee rocker was set upon.

And it was only after he'd packed Kyle off in a taxi that he realised his jacket had been ripped to shreds.

Kyle got caught up in trouble in London's Camden High Street after The View and Dykeenies played the Camden Crawl festival last month,

Cumbernauld-born John, who reckons he's got one of those faces that lands him in trouble, said: "I went to the official after-show party with our bass player Andy and our sound engineer Mick Egget.

"Mick is friendly with Chris, the sound engineer from The View, so we ended up sitting with them."

At about midnight, John and Mick left the party to get some cash and spotted Kyle surrounded by a mob in the street.
John said: "We were walking back down Camden High Street when we saw a fight in the middle of the street 200 yards away.

"As we got closer, I thought, 'That's Kyle from The View.'

"There were about 10 people there, but not everyone were fighting.

"Kyle was with one of his pals and a girl and about three people were fighting him.

"I jumped in and tried to split them up, pulling Kyle to the left and pushing another guy to the right. One guy gave me a peach of a kidney punch - my kidneys are bad enough without that.

"The guys kept egging Kyle on, saying 'So you think you are a rock star?', and slagging him for being Scottish and 'wearing the same jeans'.

"Kyle was up and down like a yo-yo but he never had a mark on his face. He was a proper Trojan.

"He got decked a few times but jumped straight back up. It was a bit surreal.

"The guys walked away and I told Kyle to get in a taxi immediately.

"It was only afterwards that I realised my yellow jacket was all ripped and covered in blood.

"It was totally ruined and my kidneys were throbbing for days."

The View, who play Glasgow Academy this Thursday, refused to comment.

The Dykeenies are gearing up to play the NME stage at T in the Park. And they are busy promoting their new single, Sounds Of The City, which was released at the end of last month.

By Beverley Lyons, Daily Record, 12th May 2009

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Manchester Academy videos

Glass Smash


The Don


Temptation Dice


5 Rebbeccas

Friday, May 15, 2009

Glasgow Academy videos

Covers (Paolo Nutini parts sung by Reni)

Face For The Radio

Glasgow Academy review

THE O2 Academy gig was the hottest ticket in town last night as The View delivered a typically fiery performance to a sold-out crowd.

Entering to thunderous chants of "The View are on fire", the Dundee quartet had fans dancing, jumping and spilling pints as soon as the first notes of opener Glass Smash rang out.

Favourites Wasted Little DJs and The Don whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

But the band's low-down, scuzzy guitar pop was still as strong as before, as they powered through recent single 5 Rebeccas, while Wastelands was dedicated by Kyle Falconer to ska legends the Specials.

Although Paolo Nutini wasn't there to sing his part on Covers, the band's fans gleefully hollered his lyrics instead, during a stripped-down acoustic segment that also saw Falconer cover Squeeze classic Up The Junction.

However, there was nothing low-key about the closing songs, a sing-a-long accompanying Same Jeans, before the punchy Superstar Trades-man and punky Shock Horror finished the night off in suitably sweaty fashion.

by Jonathan Geddes, Evening Times, 15th May 2009

Which Bitch? review

It’s two years since The View’s last album, Hats Off to the Buskers, and the band maintains its linear progression, following on along post-Libertines lines with lots of witty observations, music hall ditties and crashing, reverbed guitars and street smart rock to capture the imagination of even the most jaded listener.

The band continues to pull songs into the most strange of shapes with fantastic success.

Horns, strings and woodwind are reminiscent of Sergeant Pepper, while Falconer’s soulful, untamed voice is a joy to behold.

I was expecting to hate this, but came away brimming with admiration for Which Bitch and its vibrant, hedonistic songs.

First class.

By Rob Mellett, The Cairns Post,Thursday, May 14, 2009

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Paolo on The View

....Paolo met The View when recording in Wales and ended up being a guest vocalist on their Which Bitch? album.

Paolo says: "We're young Scottish guys who enjoy a drink and a cigarette, football and making music."

Read the full story here.

Evening Times, 14th May 2009

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Radio show update

CHANGES TO THE OWEN MORRIS AND DEREK SMITH RADIO SHOW

Owen Morris' and Derek Smith's Radio show that currently goes out on a Sunday evening on Black Diamond FM is moving to Saturday evening at 6.p.m.

Sunday evening, surrounded by classical music didn't seem to be working, so we're moving to a better slot.

We have press ganged Diane from Los Angeles into the show, so now it's the ODD show.

Also, Rick McMurray has joined the show full time.

But still all about Owen Morris' unrivaled musical genius. Up and coming featured acts include an incredible new band from Edinburgh "Midnight Brown".......they are amazingly brilliant and still only seventeen and unsigned, "The View" and "St Judes Infirmary" and the legendary "Ash". Local M.P. Nigel Griffiths will also be featured in a special show.

The show will still be coming from Edinburgh, though in following weeks will be also available for broadcast on a website for radio stations around the UK and the rest of the world to use and broadcast.

New talent and bands are being discovered and championed. Our man about town, Lee Calder is continuing his search for new talent around Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland and the UK.

Peace and love

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

  • www.blackdiamondfm.com
  • Morecambe band to support The View

    MORECAMBE'S very own The Heartbreaks will support indie chart toppers The View in Manchester's The Roadhouse, this Friday (May 15).
    The four-piece (formerly known as Seaside Riot and before that, Tin Soldiers) were invited to support the Scottish act – known for their hit 'Same Jeans' – by frontman Kyle Falconer.

    "Kyle saw us supporting Sergeant at The Roadhouse in Manchester recently and asked us to support them", explains The Heartbreaks' frontman, Matt Whitehouse. "They thought we were tip top, which was nice."

    The Heartbreaks – who've recently welcomed new bass player Christopher Deakin – are going from strength to strength, regularly playing in Manchester and London and enjoying a decent national following.
    Do you want to support The Heartbreaks?

    The lads will also be playing their own headline set at Manchester's Night and Day on July 10.

    There'll be a coach available to take fans of the band down to the show – details will be announced soon.

    * FOR more information about The Heartbreaks in the meantime, go to www.myspace.com/heartbreaksband

    The Visitor, 12th May 2009.

    Friday, May 08, 2009

    Band aid saves Doghouse

    A live music venue in Dundee credited with helping bands including The View achieve stardom has been saved from permanent closure.

    Mounting debts resulted in The Doghouse in the city's Brown Street being shut down in April.

    However, a fundraising gig headlined by The View has helped cover the club's unpaid council rates.

    The 350-capacity venue, which was once a schoolhouse, is set to officially reopen on Friday night.

    Sarah Hill, who has run the club since 2004, paid tribute to all those who lent their support to the campaign.

    She said: "I can't believe we have actually done it, it just shows you with a lot of hard work and determination you can achieve anything.

    "The support from everyone including bands, local businesses, our customers, The Doghouse lovers and general public has truly been overwhelming and will not be forgotten."

    The View, who performed at The Doghouse in the days before they secured a record deal, joined an array of other local bands for a fundraising gig last weekend.

    Bassist Kieren Webster said: "We were just glad we could do something, Sarah helped us when we needed it and we were pleased to be able to give something back."

    BBC, 8th May 2009

    Wednesday, May 06, 2009

    Fat Sams Photos

    Photos from The View's set at Fat Sams, Dundee, 2nd May 2009.
    See all images here.

    Photography by John Gow.

    Tuesday, May 05, 2009

    Gig gives Doghouse hope

    THE VIEW headlined a benefit gig for the Doghouse at Fat Sams Live in Dundee on Saturday.

    The Dryburgh foursome were supported by Doghouse favourites Luva Anna, Dave?, The Goodnights and The Twist during the four-hour gig, which was watched by more than 1000 screaming music fans.

    The sell-out gig, which follows last week’s live fund-raiser at the Whitehall Theatre, means organisers have now raised enough money to pay off the Doghouse’s outstanding debts.

    Promoter Jonathan Dawson, entertainment manager at the now-closed Brown Street venue, said there is every chance the troubled venue could reopen as early as next weekend.

    “Between this gig and last week’s gig we’ve raised enough to pay off the debts in full and will have enough money to reopen,” Mr Dawson said.

    “We are now hoping to reopen next Friday.”

    The 350-capacity Doghouse closed its doors in March after the licensee, Sarah Hill, fell behind in paying rates to the council.

    The council claimed she owed more than £10,000 in unpaid non-domestic rates.

    It is understood that, while Ms Hill will continue to play a pivotal role in the running of the live music venue once it reopens, Connie Gibson will be the new leaseholder.

    Mr Dawson continued, “We are all looking forward to reopening, but first we are going to enjoy this night.

    “This is a sell-out gig and probably the biggest show I’ve ever organised.”

    The Courier, 4th May 2009

    More from Fat Sams

    Monday, May 04, 2009

    'Shock Horror' from Fat Sams

    Friday, May 01, 2009

    Camden Crawl videos

    Claudia
    Distant Doubloon
    Wasted Little DJ's
    Face For The Radio
    Recorded Camden Roundhouse, 25th April 2009

    Doornroosje Videos

    The View performing live at Doornroosje, Nijmegen on 3rd April 2009

    The Don
    One Off Pretender/Skag Tendy
    Realisation
    Give Back The Sun
    Glass Smash

    Euro acoustic performances

    The View played a short acoustic gig at Velvet Store at Delft before playing a full length show in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Here is S'hock Horror'.

    Angle 1


    Angle 2


    The View performing 'Shock Horror' acoustic at Plato Live, Utrecht. 02/04/2009

    Vic Galloway Session

    Watch two tracks from The View's BBC Studio One session, filmed on Monday the 27th of April.

    Shock Horror
    I've Just Seen A Face