THE early to mid-2000’s are widely regarded as a boom period for indie rock ‘n’ roll and saw the genre grasp hold of the zeitgeist like never before. Early pioneers such as The Strokes were still riding high, the frontmen that formed the tempestuous dynamic of The Libertines had splintered off into their own well received side projects and a bunch of wide-eyed young lads from Sheffield known as Arctic Monkeys had just taken the charts by storm.
Whilst all of this music was a mainstay at rock ‘n’ roll club nights up and down the country, Scotland had largely been excluded in terms of creating bands that were contributing to this period of prosperity. While Franz Ferdinand and The Fratellis had left an indelible mark on the industry at this time, Scotland’s music lovers were pining for a band that harnessed the nation’s chaotic creative spirit and the sound of hedonistic nights and their brutal aftermaths. Emanating from the Dryburgh area of Dundee, The View would do exactly that with their 2007 debut Hats Off To The Buskers; an album that was instantly relatable and yet steeped in escapism in the very same breath.
Ten years on from its release, the band remain at the peak of their powers and have decided to embark upon a special tour that commemorates its release. Speaking just hours before they’d kick things off in earnest at Glasgow’s legendary Barrowland Ballroom, guitarist Pete Reilly spoke of their special affinity for the iconic venue and why it was a perfect place to get things underway:
“It’s got something about it, a swagger to it. It’s renowned. The Barras is our favourite venue in the world and a lot of people might think that to be biased but American bands even come across and play it and say the same. It’s got a wee magic about it.”
Released to a rapturous response, their full-length debut has retained an almost mythical status around it and its highlights remain vital components in their set to this day. Having naturally sat certain songs on the sidelines as their catalogue continued to expand, Reilly feels that this upcoming tour of the UK is an exciting opportunity given the special place that the record holds in their fans’ hearts:
“We tested it before and it was kind of cool to play it. Obviously we’re playing like ‘Claudia’ and ‘Street Lights’ and that which haven’t cracked into the setlist for years because we’ve got so many tunes but it’s definitely cool to revisit it and play it in order. It’s weird when the second tune in is ‘Superstar Tradesman’ like. It’s like ‘where do you go from there?’. It’s came full circle and it’s nostalgic for people now and made it over that line so it’s cool to go back to it.”
Prior to their anniversary tour, the Dundonian outfit took it upon themselves to make history by performing at the Glasgow’s new music mecca of King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut eight times in a row. Opting to play a succession of intimate shows as opposed to decamping to a larger venue, the move was one that paid homage to the band’s roots and the pivotal importance of the venue.
“It was like Groundhog Day, I felt like… I think Bill Murray? Aye I felt like Bill Murray in that film! Nah I’m only joking obviously, it was great. It feels weird because obviously you usually do your thing and then you’re off to the next place. Biffy or Idlewild or somebody had the record before so it was cool to do it. Somebody put it on the table and we thought ‘yeah we should give something back to Tut’s’ because that was like a benchmark for us when we were first coming through. Tut’s is an important gig for any band. We tried a few things and played four songs off the fifth album, four songs off the fourth album and so on but that never really went down very well (laughs) so we changed it about and had it all mixed in. We actually rehearsed for it and that’s pretty strange for The View.”
Following the conclusion of their upcoming trip down memory lane, the band will perform at the inaugural edition of TRNSMT festival at Glasgow Green. While most people were excited to see that there was a new event on Scotland’s festival schedule, Pete sees it was more of a necessity to keep things ticking over:
“Yeah, can’t wait. I’m glad they did something because I think Scotland would go into meltdown if there wasn’t something along the lines of T in the Park We were saying before that people would just be turning up on bits of grass with tents (laughs) so it’ll be good to play that. We’re playing Benicassim in Spain so that’s going to be good and we’ve got a few other things in the pipeline so we’re waiting on that. We’re playing some smaller festivals throughout Britain so it’s good to do those too.”
As has became tradition at their Scottish shows, the upcoming gigs in The Barrowlands has seen them supported by the likes of The Blinders and VISTAS whilst their shows at Edinburgh’s Liquid Rooms and subsequent return to The Barrowlands on the 19th May will feature a set from the hotly tipped art-poppers The Vegan Leather. Viewed in conjunction with the fact that they enabled bands to apply to support them during their spell at King Tut’s, It’s evident that the band are committed to helping the next crop of homegrown talent to blossom. For Pete, this is merely a case of paying it forward in the manner that bands did for them:
“Definitely mate. People put you on to stuff and you try to keep us as much as possible. We’re always up for giving the new bands a shot because that’s how we broke through so that’s what it’s all about for us.”
Despite the fact that band have been prolific performers over the past couple of years, they have abstained from releasing new music since the release of the inventive and diverse Ropewalk in 2015. Although they may have been quiet on this front in recent years, Pete insists that the hiatus from the studio is set to conclude this year:
“Well everyone’s been writing tunes but we’re going to try and have a little break from playing Britain as we’ve been doing it that much so we’re going to try and get people hungry again and get the next album out. We’re going to try and not play Britain for… at least a year or something. It’s like we’re the resident band in the Barras (laughs) so it’s time to put the brakes on for a bit, get the album written and see what happens.”
If their electrifying form in the live arena is anything to go by, The View’s next full length endeavour may be every bit as the seminal debut that they’re celebrating.
