The View hail 'live music apprenticeships'

Category: Getting started

Artists who are getting started in music could find those early gigs in small venues the highlight of their career.

According to Scottish rockers The View, performing in absolute dumps can be one of the best experiences an emerging band can have.

Bass guitar player Kieren Webster said he does not envy those who are catapulted to instant fame - such as X Factor contestants - for this reason.

"They missed the good bit and gone straight into stress," he commented.

Speaking to the Daily Record, he said playing small gigs as an unknown artist allows people to "have the fun of finding out what being a musician is about".

Guitar player Pete Reilly added that he sees building up a following on the live circuit as a valuable part of a band's apprenticeship in the music industry.

"X Factor isn't part of the music industry - it is mind-numbing TV," he stated.

The Dundee-based rockers have been active since 2005 and released their debut album two years later, which was nominated for the 2007 Mercury Music Prize.

By Neil Hill