Music review: Kyle Falconer, Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh

After the rollercoaster chaos of The View’s last decade and successive stints in rehab, lead singer Kyle Falconer has taken stock and branched out into a solo career that reportedly finds him more relaxed, reflective and centred.

Kyle Falconer

Kyle Falconer: Praying For An Avalanche Tour, Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh

Backed by his five-piece band, the Dundonian certainly goes after his demons head-on with Poor Me, his emotive vocal acknowledging, but refusing to surrender to, the bleaker excesses of his self-pity. It’s followed immediately by a stirring, strolling rendition of The Therapist, its bluesy, country twangs forthright in the intimacy of their confessional.

The View remain a going concern, according to Falconer. And he seamlessly slips into the mild dance vibe of their Bunker (Solid Ground) and the anthemic fan favourite Face for the Radio, before serving up the grindingly trite Double Yellow Lines in the encore. He’s on surer ground with Japanese Girl, a catchy bit of pop that attracted a big singalong in the room, expressing his instinctive melodic knack, even when the lyrical sentiment verges into florid and overwrought.

The good intentions of Kelly, about a school friend’s gender identity, are clumsily expressed. But it’s a mellow listen that lifts the crowd before the rollicking Grace, with Falconer really cutting loose with its chugging guitar urgency. The folkily quirky Typical Time 2 gets another huge reception before he endearingly howls his way through a cover of Tina Turner’s What’s Love Got to Do With it? - Jay Richardson