The View headed to Southampton’s The 1865 on Sunday as part of their UK tour. Whilst The 1865 will have likely seen bigger crowds, those who turned out to see the Scottish band were enthusiastic and more than compensated for the lack of numbers.
The venue itself is an unusual one, with seats around the edge and strange white pillars protruding beyond them. The roofs of the bar and cloakroom are tiled and it all gives the place the feel of a Mexican square, but indoors. Whilst The View are no mariachi band, they seemed at home under the lights as they opened their set with ‘Glass Smash’. The song starts with an atmospheric and almost operatic intro that builds into a crescendo of jagged guitar. Then comes the distinct voice of Kyle Falconer. Whilst it’s been nearly ten years since the release of their debut album Hats Off to the Buskers, the songs from this still proved the most popular with the crowd. ‘Skag Trendy’, ‘The Don’ and ‘Wasted Little DJs’ drew the crowd into raptures and teed them up nicely for their big hit, ‘Same Jeans’. The band stormed their way through the latter and the fans were definitely left wanting for more. Fortunately the song, all-too-short, was extended with a brief interlude courtesy of a faithful rendition of The Kingsmen’s ‘Louie Louie.’
As has become something of a tradition at their shows, the hardcore fans began shouting “The View, The View, The View are on fire!” Nonetheless, having played to a lively crowd in Bristol the night before, they might have been disappointed with the size of the crowd. If so, it was far from obvious. There was no drop in quality from their usual form and some mid-show microphone issues were remedied as lead singer Falconer hijacked that of bassist Kieren Webster. This will come as no real surprise to faithful fans. The pair often swap roles during the show and this was the case as Webster took to centre stage to deliver ‘Skag Trendy’.
There were a number of songs from their latest offering Ropewalk. Whilst ‘Under the Rug’ wasn’t met with much of a response, the pulsating beat of ‘Voodoo Doll’ proved popular. Amid frantic moshing, the band appeared to draw proceedings to a close with ‘Superstar Tradesman’. By the time that feet were back on the ground and the plastic pint glasses had settled, the band had left the stage. However, they had one last surprise up their sleeve. Perhaps in response to my comment on the current setlist (see my interview with the band), Kyle Falconer remained on stage and took to the keyboard to deliver a tender rendition of the melancholic ‘Tacky Tattoo’.
Whilst their audience may have dwindled since their show at the Guildhall a few years ago, the band continue to grow artistically and remain passionate about their music. They were touring following the release of Ropewalk last September and recently completed a European tour.
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Find it strange how The View sell-out multiple tours in massive venues throughout Scotland but don’t do the same in England. I saw them in Liverpool and every second person in the crowd was Scottish.