The View returns to Manchester on their UK tour: All you need to know

The View burst onto the UK indie stage in the mid-noughties with their debut album, Hats Off To The Buskers and hit single, ‘Same Jeans’.  Since then, they have become mainstays of British indie rock; their newest release, and nationwide tour, cement their position as elder statesmen of the scene.

With The View’s ambitious tour taking in 21 English cities in just over a month, lead vocalist Kyle Falconer seemed to suggest that the band might steer clear of some of the rowdier aspects of previous tours, “We’ll try to keep fit on tour, healthy mind healthy body, we’ve not done a big tour like this for a while and I don’t want to burn out – I’ve made that mistake in the past.” No afterparties at YES, then? This more mature outlook seems to be a vein which runs through their new album Exorcism of Youth; the title itself suggests a split from the past and the emergence of a more measured style.

By no means, however, have The View lost any of their punch, with tracks such as ‘The Wonder of it All’ and ‘Woman of the Year’ ensuring that their setlist bears the marks of the driving guitars and urgency of their debut album. There is a sense that The View have refined their style: less chaotic and more measured in their output, maintaining the massive energy of their earlier days channelled into a more polished product, perhaps not just musically, but as a group.

“We had to set certain rules as a band, if we want to continue and be successful we can’t be the crazy guys we used to be.” An acknowledgement perhaps of some of the more raucous episodes in the band’s history, but then again – that’s rock ‘n’ roll. Yet in live performances, the band still carry their signature attitude-packed rowdiness for which they’re renowned. “When you see all the old faces and fans and venues, it’s like nothing ever changed, man.”

The View come to Manchester at the start of November, a much anticipated stop on their tour. Falconer seems to have a special appreciation: “Manchester is one of our favourite cities to play, it always feels like a homecoming when we go. The crowds just seem up for it, everyone in Manchester knows and appreciates music… all proper musos.” Falconer even went as far as to compare Manchester’s gig-goers to their valorised counterparts in his (almost) native Glasgow, “Glasgow crowds remind me of Mancunians: just a bit crazy.” So, in true The View fashion, expect high-energy, lively crowds, and plenty of mosh-pits. 

The View play their “first – well – first finished gig, in Manchester for a long time” on the 4th November at Manchester Academy 2. Doors open at 7:30pm, with tickets available here. 

Words by Harry Sharples