The View’s frontman, Kyle Falconer, played to an intimate pub crowd in the Bungalow Bar in Paisley. Having never seen The View, nor ever attending this particular venue, I didn’t know entirely what to expect, even as a seasoned gig-goer.
I arrive just before the third support act. The venue fills around me, Stag Boy takes the stage, and fans of theirs head straight to the front. They sing along with every word and dance like nobody’s watching. A theme I notice throughout the night, is the lack of phones in the air, which makes it easy to enjoy the moment, and be able to watch each act with your own eyes. Described as a “pure mad demented boyband from hell” in a Kyle Falconer testimonial video on Instagram, I’m excited to see if Stag Boy were truly as demented as claimed. While I personally wouldn’t describe them as such, they brought a very high level of energy to the stage, making it clear how destined they are for bigger stages and venues. I didn’t know any of their material, but with loud fans at the front, and repetitive choruses, I find myself dancing and singing along to their tunes in no time at all.
With a guitar and his immediately recognisable voice, Ben Walker was up next. Ben is an act that you need to know if, somehow, you haven’t already heard of him. He has sold out numerous venues as a headline act in his own right, and his performances with his band are some of the most memorable I’ve ever seen. This made it even more interesting to see him in a more acoustic setting, allowing his individuality to fully shine through. Throwing in a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing In the Dark’ amongst a multitude of his own mesmerising melodies, Ben Walker had everyone in the room singing along, whether they were familiar with his music or not. His own setlist consisted of recently released ‘Freedom of the Driveway’ as well as other infectious and catchy tunes like ‘Sixteen’, ‘Just a Boy’, and ‘Ronseal’. Destined to be a household name on his own, this support slot further proved just how impressive Ben is as a performer as well as his penmanship as a songwriter. If you haven’t already seen him live, look out for a show of his near you, it will be a performance you won’t forget.
Coming onstage in front of the now packed-out room, Kyle Falconer, like Ben Walker, is armed only with a guitar and his vibrant vocals. He begins his set with popular tunes like 2021 track ‘Stress Ball’, and has fans around the room singing along instantly. Adding in bits of humour as he goes, it is a very relaxed performance, which puts both him and the audience at ease. Next up are tracks from his latest solo album, ‘The One I Love The Most’, a record full of songs titled with female names. My personal favourite of his, ‘Grace’, is met with an incredible reception and is one of the highlights of the entire night. Someone from the crowd shouts for him to play ‘Dixie’— also from that album – to which he replies something along the lines of, “fine, I’ll play Dixie,” with feigned frustration. Another crowd pleaser is ‘Gem’, a song he plays after commenting that some see it as a negative thing if you refer to a woman as a “bird”, joking about the lyrics and maintaining good rapport with the audience.
As the set progresses, so too does the drunkenness level in the room. The second half of his set consists mostly of covers, and the gig starts to feel more like a drunken karaoke night. It seems like Falconer is really trying to appeal to the audience by doing the covers, having promised earlier he would take some requests. Most of the crowd is having a great time singing along. Falconer sounds great and doesn’t lose any energy, but for someone with a 20-year catalogue to play from, I was admittedly hoping for more of his (and The View’s) work. After the gig, I speak with two lifelong The View fans who share this disappointment. Having paid good money to see Falconer live, they had expected to hear more songs of his they know and love.
Overall it was a very enjoyable and intimate evening. The supports were incredible, and the starting half of Falconer’s set was very memorable, in all the right ways. That positivity is how I’ll remember the gig, and I look forward to seeing Kyle Falconer again, whether as a solo artist, or as frontman of The View.
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