The View, Little Man Tate, Underground Heroes - Astoria, London - Monday 4th December 2006

Less than a week before this gig came the extremely pleasant surprise that Little Man Tate were going to be the support band - so possibly my 2 favorite new(ish) bands playing on the same night. I love it when stuff like that happens by accident! This was a crowd full of music lovers, with the gig sold out a long time ago, and The View having made considerable progress towards rock stardom since then. It began by entering the venue, and bumping straight into the "Wasted Little DJs", 2 rather annoying girls that are going out with members of The View.

First band of the night were Underground Heroes, who I had had the pleasure of seeing support The View before, at Tunbridge Wells Forum. I liked them then, have listened to a few of the tracks on their MySpace site since, and really liked them this evening. They mix parts of the Ordinary Boys, Arctic Monkeys, and Libertines, into a sound which is great for getting drunk and having a good time at a show. Seeing them live is really the only way to do them justice, because they sound like a band far more capable than their current position in the world of music suggests.

In a venue that was starting to get sweaty, next up were Little Man Tate. A huge bonus to have them on the bill, because I would have paid to see them headline, they played a set that was shorter and less intense than I had seen from them before - mainly, I guess, because they were playing to an audience that needed some winning over. So, the set was heavy on singles both past and future, and they acquitted themselves pretty well. A very different set to the triumphant, drunken headline sets that I have seen before, but a good one nonetheless. Not sure how many View fans they won over, but I enjoyed it!

Finally, The View. I have said a few times that this band are great, and should go far - and I will say it again. Following up a mammoth schedule of support slots, this was a different set - more songs, some new songs, slower songs, more interaction with the crowd. There must be a dozen or so tunes which, if included on their debut album in January, will help to make it one of the most exciting debuts for a long while.

The set was carried off with confidence, assurance, and with something to spare. The audience was very up for the gig, so the moshpit for Wasted Little DJs extended pretty much through the whole venue. There was beer flying everywhere, and all this at just about 9:30 on a Monday night. As the set drew to its close, with Posh Boys, new single Same Jeans, and Superstar Tradesman, the whole venue was going completely mad.

And with good reason, because this really was a fantastic performance, from what must be the most exciting new band in the country right now. Oasis started it, The Libertines were leading lights, Arctic Monkeys excited everybody. The View belong in this company - fantastic band, great quality and range of tunes, and awesome live. A "must see" band.