Bread and Circuses: In Profile

Today, March 14th, marks the 12th anniversary of The View’s third studio album, Bread and Circuses. The record was produced by Youth, best known as a founding member and bassist of Killing Joke, whose previous production credits included artists such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Verve and Faith No More. It was the first time the band had collaborated with Youth, having co-produced their previous two albums with Owen Morris. In more recent times, the band reunited with Youth to recording their forthcoming album ‘Exorcism of Youth’, set for release in 2023.

Bread and Circuses entered the Official UK Album Charts at #14 and featured the singles ‘Sunday’ and ‘Grace’. Sunday was released as free download in November 2010, with Grace being released in March 2011, accompanied by the b-side ‘Clowns’, a week before the album release as a 7” single and digital download.

Grace was written about Pete's downstairs neighbour, by Kyle who told NME about the songs inspiration back in 2011. 

"We were getting a load of demos pulled together to practice for the album while we were back in Dundee after releasing Which Bitch. Pete had just moved into his first flat, and the neighbour downstairs got off to a bad start by making constant noise complaints to the police. There wasn't really any noise - they just heard that it was a guy form The View moving in and jumped to the conclusion that he was going to be really noisy and decided to set their stall out early. It inspired our first single off the album so we have to thank them for that. It's about making peace and living together rather than seeking problems and bullying.”

The video featured the bands friend, actor Martin Compston (Line of Duty, The Rig), who went on to feature in The View’s next single in 2013 for How Long.

Bread and Circuses was released on vinyl and CD with a special edition being released in Japan with an accompanying DVD with the following track list;

1. Grace

2. Underneath The Lights

3. Tragic Magic

4. Girl

5. Life

6. Friend

7. Beautiful

8. Blondie

9. Sunday

10. Walls

11. Happy

12. Best Lasts Forever

13. Witches

Bonus Japanese CD

1. Runaway

2. Wasted Little DJ’s (Live in Glasgow)

3. Underneath The Lights (Live in Bathgate)

4. Gem of a Bird (Live In Stirling)

5. Shock Horror (Live at Aberdeen Lemon Tree)

Bonus Japanese DVD Live at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut

1. Grace

2. Sunday

3. Making of Grace (Mini Documentary)