The View (band)

The View
The View onstage at the SECC, 17 November 2006
Background information
Origin	Dundee, Scotland
Genres	Indie rock folk punk power pop celtic rock
Years active	2005–present
Labels	1965 Records (Sony BMG/Columbia), Two Thumbs
Website	www.theviewareonfire.com
Members	Kyle Falconer Kieren Webster Pete Reilly Steven Morrison

The View are a Scottish indie rock band. They incorporate various styles such as punk, pop, alternative rock, and folk in their music. They are best known for their 2007 single "Same Jeans" which reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

The band are currently signed to Cooking Vinyl and have released five studio albums since their platinum selling debut Hats Off to the Buskers, which topped the UK Albums Chart in January 2007 and was nominated for the 2007 Mercury Music Prize.

Despite never matching this early success, they enjoy a large fanbase in their native Scotland with albums regularly topping the Scottish Albums Chart. The band also hold a reputation for their live performances with regularly sold out tours in Scotland. The View are also regular fixtures at music festivals throughout the UK; they have played at Scotland's largest festival – T in the Park – a record eight times, with organiser Geoff Ellis saying “The View can play every year under my watch, if they want to.”

The View initially formed around a cover band at school, playing their own versions of bands such as Squeeze and the Sex Pistols. Lead singer Kyle Falconer, guitarist Peter Reilly, bassist Kieren Webster and original drummer Michael Annable all attended St John's RC High School, They began by performing a number of their own songs and cover versions at school talent contests. The deputy head teacher of St John's stated that he knew the band would go far and he told them to push for a record deal. The View entered the school talent contest four times but were only successful twice. Following this, the band set up base to write their own material in a back room of The Bayview Pub, a bar owned by Falconer's cousin. They progressed to play more cover gigs and weddings around the Dundee area, including the Centenary Bar in Central Dundee and a caravan park in Arbroath. The band were later ejected from their base in The Bayview, following singer Kyle Falconer reportedly riding a scooter along the bar.