Arctic Reviews

Welcome Guest. ( Log In | Register )

Browse Artists: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Other
Browse Genres: Blues · Electronic · Funk / Soul · Hip-Hop · Jazz · Latin · Non-Music · Pop · Reggae · Rock

The View - The Cockpit

It's easy to imagine a younger Falconer, K, staring out of the windows at St. John's RC high school and dreaming about guitars, girls, and getting in to trouble, as opposed to learning about stuff like the Falklands war or the industrial revolution. You'd probably bet that pretty much the same happens these days in those interminable meetings with those creative consultants and label mandarins, especially when they talk about The View “Delivering new audience dynamics” or “Creatively re-evaluating their direction”.

The Dundonian quartet have already proved a few people wrong by surviving the confused, over indulgent (And yet intermittently brilliant) second album Which Bitch?, but short attention spans or not, this tour sees them on the point of unveiling Cheeky For A Reason, the latest instalment in a career that's seen them outlast almost of their mid-noughties contemporaries despite looking incapable of staying awake long enough.

If schmoozing with the suits is maybe a recipe for disaster, touring is undoubtedly The View playing their joker. A five piece live with the addition of Darren Rennie on keyboards, they're made for venues like The Cockpit, it's no frills vibe in simpatico with the band's down to earth attitude and simple musical formula. Taking to the stage looking admirably refreshed, they're also seemingly unfazed by a less than massive turn out, and the opening salvo of Comin' Down followed by the bitchy, almost perfect chops of Wasted Little DJ's wires everybody immediately back in to those days when even mentioning that you'd heard it to someone meant free drinks all night.

At their best, The View are like a youth serum, turning everything into a sweetly chaotic, hormonal roller-coaster. On Grace they do just that, turning a story about being a noisy neighbour into a plea for forgiveness, all with a chorus that would persuade any noise prevention officer to come in for a quick bevvy.

Of course there's a new album to promote, and the dudes who sign the cheques can feel they're getting value for money here; as well as new single How Long there are run outs for a whole slew of new material, of which the highlights - Bunker (Solid Ground), Sour Little Sweetie and the swaggering Hold On Now – prove that there's still life Falconer's biro yet. Throw in the odd minor classic from the archive such as Skag Trendy or the never bad Superstar Tradesman and any conclusion reached is an obvious one, that our very own Tay City Rollers just have too much in the locker to end up in Guilfest hell just yet, despite omitting Same Jeans and even yours truly's personal treasure, Face For The Radio. The equation is a simple one – whilst there is still Coldplay in the world, there must be an equal and opposite force like The View. Stramash!

Click links to find more reviews for The View or by Rich Pickings or of genre Rock