Live Review: The View

NME Awards Indie Rock Tour
Manchester Academy 3/2/07

Reviewer: Graham Emmerson

The Automatic are headlining the bill, in theory, but there’s only one band that everyone’s here for. As Dundee’s finest strut onto the stage, pockets of fans around the front begin the trademark chant, “The View, The View, The View are on fire”.

And they are. Kicking off with album opener ‘Comin Down’ everyone knows it. This audience has definitely bought, stolen or downloaded the album. ‘Wasted Little DJ’s’ is an early highlight and it’s only right to embrace the pandemonium down the front.

Describing their musical influences as ranging from The Libertines all the way to Dirty Pretty Things isn’t that harsh. But for the kids here tonight The Libs are so five years ago and Doherty is just a national joke. The devotion for The View could set whole new heights judging by the adoring faces screaming back every last word.

The only downsides to this NME sponsored gig were the omission of classic album track ‘Face For The Radio’ and the insistence on playing ‘Grans For Tea’- a song Arctic Monkeys would consider too embarrassingly everyday. Some bastard nicking my phone was a little annoying too!

‘Same Jeans’ is a mass sing-along with everyone showing no shame in admitting a shoddy approach to personal hygiene. By the time a riotous version of ‘Superstar Tradesman’ folds in on itself Manchester Academy is a sweaty throng of joy.

It’s no longer pockets of fans chanting, it seems the whole venue agrees: The View are hotter than the sun right now. One guy by the door shakes his head at the queues heading for the exit and sighs, “There’s still another band on”, but the massively reduced numbers watching The Automatic proves tonight, and no doubt tomorrow night, was all about one band.

Graham Emmerson