Funny lot, The View. Seven years after The Libertines’ implosion and the rakeload of indie also-rans who approximated their sound and swagger have more or less disappeared into the distance. Not Dundee’s finest. Here they are, receiving a heroes’ welcome as they take to The Academy stage, still drinking like troopers, speaking an impenetrable Scottish burr every time they open their mouths. They’re only an old fashioned indie band, but the fact The View are still very much a going concern owes everything to their impish, cheeky charm and a winning way with song that, whilst showing little in the way of true progression, isn’t without its charms.
It is with the new record that we begin, as ‘Grace’ comes racing out of the traps like a boozed-up greyhound on heat. The audience (not overly massive, but definitely vocal) take that as their cue to mosh like mad, throw drinks around and generally have an indecently good laugh. It’s all a little boisterous, but it’s rock ‘n’ roll. The familiar chant of “The View are on fire!” soon pitches up and fills any lulls in sound for the duration. Aiming to capitalise on the momentum, the band segue straight into ‘Wasted Little DJs’, the indie disco staple that talks of free haircuts and employs pig Latin to memorable effect. ‘5Rebeccas’ is sweeter than any song from an album entitled Which Bitch? has any right to be, and has a touch of Madness about it.
More than a few times, their tunes sound familiar, like vague approximations of hits they heard as kids. It’s all dressed up (or dressed down) in that View aesthetic, Kyle Falconer’s rolling yelp giving it a sense of Caledonian identity. New number ‘Blondie’ is a case in point. Jaunty and immediate, it’s ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’ in all but name (no, seriously). After the Cyndi Lauper homage, bassist Kieren Webster gets his customary turn at the mic, running through fan favourite ‘Skag Trendy’. He’s perfectly passable, but after five minutes Falconer’s mangled and distinctive burr is missed. Once the curly-haired one returns to frontman duties, it’s all eyes on the prize. ‘Same Jeans’ lifts the tempo once more, ‘Sunday’ uses OMD’s ‘Enola Gay’ synth hook to great effect, and ‘Superstar Tradesman’ remains the finest thing they’ve ever written. They end with ‘Shock Horror’ and a few more unintelligible words of (we think) thanks, leaving the faithful as they found them: “The View, The View, The View are on fire!” A fair assessment. Catchy too.