The View / The Law

Dundee has spawned two of the most legendary British comics of all time, The Beano and The Dandy, however, this evening's export is certainly not the kind of thing you would want showing up on your doorstep on a Thursday morning to entertain your small children.

Fans of The View are no strangers to The Law, who have followed their friends around the country for some time and as such receive a warm welcome from the Glasgow gathering. Singer, Stuart Purvey, carries himself with all the swagger of young Gallagher, having the charisma and vocal chops to back those swinging shoulders up.

Balls-to-the-wall opener 'Don't Stop, Believe', (no, not a Journey cover), has echoes of Ocean Colour Scene's 'Hundred Mile High City', a swinging stomp that's screaming for a Friday night pub sing along. The irony of introducing 'Still Got Friday To Go' to a Glasgow crowd on a Thursday night is not lost on Purvey, saying "It is Thursday night after all..." If you were in the audience and didn't realise that the essence of this band is the truest homage to the real hedonistic spirit of Rock 'N' Roll, then, what's wrong with you?

Their whole set seems like the perfect soundtrack to a night's hard drinking, even throwing in some "Oi, oi!" action on last song, 'Hot Rod', that you won't have heard since you were at that Discharge gig way back when. You are about to hear a lot about The Law, get used to it.

The chants of, "Ooh, ah, up The Law, ooh ah up The Law", eventually fade into "The View, The View, The View are on Fire", and The View open with, 'Glass Smash' , from, 'Which Bitch?'. Singer Kyle Falconer, brandishing his red Gibson ES-355 all the way up to his chin, stands on his tiptoes, while seemingly hiding behind the thick, curly, mop that rests atop his head. This lack of confidence trickles into the mix, with Falconer's vocals lost amidst the backing.



'Wasted Little DJs', suffers from a technical issue also, with bassist, Kieren Webster's mic malfunctioning enough to force him stage right in favour of guitarist, Pete Reilly's mic. Ploughing through a mix of new material, ('Temptation Dice', '5 Rebeccas') and tracks from, 'Hats Off To The Buskers', ('Skag Trendy', 'The Don') the band break from the electric to a short acoustic set, the highlight of which being, 'Mr Men Book', before returning in full for, 'Face For The Radio', in which Reilly stands on a flight case situated in the pit, conducting the crowd as they sing along.

After having witnessed the sheer charisma of The Law, it feels as though we are watching a band almost phone it in. It can be difficult enough to understand a Dundonian accent three feet across from a Dundonian, but over a P.A. and a wooly mix, it's damn near impossible, as Falconer mumbles away in his thick dialect. It could be the meaning of life and everything else, but honestly I can make head nor tail of it!



Pulling everyone back in with the crowd-popping, 'Same Jeans' (with the crowd overwhelming Falconer's vocals in the chorus) and the undeniably brilliant, 'Shock Horror', we finish on a high. Leaving the indiscretions behind in what was a tight, if uninspiring performance from one of Scotland's finest.

FUTURE GIGS