The band played the final date of the UK tonight in Leeds. By all accounts it was a cracking night. Some saying it was the show of the year so far.
Doves play this weekend’s Radio 1 Big Weekend in Swindon. After which, attention then turns to the North American tour, which kicks off in San Diego on Thursday.
Setlist as posted by Rosie & NLF at doves board.
Leeds Academy, May 8th
Jetstream Snowden Winter Hill Rise Pounding Almost Forgot 10:03 Words Denier Kingdom of Rust Ambition Black & White The Outsiders Caught By ———– Firesuite Here it Comes Last Broadcast The Fear Spaceface
by admin · Published May 7, 2009
· Last modified November 12, 2010
The East Anglian Daily Times has posted a good review of last night’s UEA show:
DOVES are without doubt one of Britain’s best bands – so why are they still playing relatively small venues?
I shouldn’t complain too much. I got to see them up close at the UEA at Norwich last night. It was a great gig – brilliant songs, brilliant musicians and a thrilling performance.
If a band can get away with playing a song as great and rabble-rousing as Pounding as early as fourth or fifth song in the set, they must be good.
So why aren’t they way of out of this league? Why aren’t they at least on the arena tour? I can only guess it’s in the presentation. They’ve never been the most attention seeking of bands, or the most photogenic. There wasn’t a lot of banter at the gig – just head down and get on with it.
A slightly indifferent review of the Southampton show in today’s Southern Daily Echo:
And 2009 is already being tipped as THE year the miserable and majestic trio from Manchester finally turns critical acclaim into mainstream success.
Rave reviews for their new album Kingdom of Rust saw it shoot to Number 2 on the charts last month and their return to Southampton Guildhall after years in the wilderness was highly anticipated.
Which is why it was so surprising that the gig proved to be slightly disappointing.
NME.com has uploaded some excellent photos of Saturday’s Brixton show. There are also some pictures of the soundcheck and of the NME competition winners that were let in for the soundcheck. To view the pictures, click here.
Doves have released a free download of an alternative version of Birds Flew Backwards. All you need to do is fill in your details at the official micro site linked below. The link to the free mp3 will be emailed to you, once you have submitted your info. Not bad for a boring Wednesday!
This is Nottingham have reviewed last night’s Rock City show:
At times, it seemed as if everyone in the room was lost in their own private world: concentrating on the exquisitely played material, without letting their faces give anything away. And then occasionally, an anthem like Black And White Town or Pounding would punch through: breaking the spell, and sending hands flying skywards.
A four-song encore climaxed with There Goes The Fear, whose coda had the whole band bashing out funky percussion rhythms, their regular instruments abandoned.
By all accounts, last night’s show in Nottingham was a right stormer. The regular set was played, but with the inclusion of Spaceface after The Fear. Well done Nottingham! I have fond memories of seeing the band at Rock City in the past, so to hear of a great show last night does not surprise me at all.
On the topic of great gigs. Scotland’s Sunday Mail rated the recent Glasgow Barrowland show as the concert of the week:
Gig of the week: Doves *****
Barrowland, Glasgow, April 22
Doves are a band for our times. Down-to-earth Jimi Goodwin and twins Jez and Andy Williams deliver songs about love, loss, death, grime, gritty cities, bad times, good times and hope.
If ever a venue was suited to them it’s the Barrowland as Jimi spoke lovingly about the peeling paint and sticky floor. With his furry beard, he looks a bit like a kindly uncle but when one of his crew was hit by flying beer, he made the crowd say sorry to his mate.Tight, muscular and pounding, Doves gave a steely performance and there was an easy chemistry between the band.
They kicked off with Jetstream and tracks like The Greatest Denier, The Outsiders and an excellent 10.03 showed the crowd are taking the new material to their hearts.
Kingdom Of Rust again proved a brilliant live track. Old Doves staples will always please and in the perfect surroundings of the Barras, the hot and sweaty crowd jumped to Black & White Town, Words and the grand finale of There Goes The Fear, which merged into a samba-party style track.
Few bands have come to the world’s attention on the strength of a debut like Doves’ Lost Souls, an album that set an almost impossibly high standard. Nine years and three albums later, the band still have an awful lot to live up to.
Like its two immediate predecessors, Kingdom of Rust falls short of greatness but it is mostly a strong and accomplished album. The basic elements are present; tightly structured songs, great hooks, singalong choruses and immaculate production. The success of this formula is exemplified by ‘Spellbound’, which charges and soars like clockwork. This is hearty music from a group who are, by now, thoroughly comfortable in their collective skin. Indeed, you could be forgiven for mistaking comfort for complacency; it is hard not to suspect that a lot of these songs have been written and perfected before. For that reason, album closer ‘Lifelines’ comes as a welcome surprise. Sounding quite unlike anything that precedes it, the track is a thumping tribute to perseverance in the face of adversity. It is fresh, invigorating and sincere and may just be one of the first great pop songs of 2009.
IT’S ALWAYS tempting and somewhat lazy to compare bands with other outfits within their genre.
Doves however somehow defy that style of reviewing because they are extremely hard to pigeonhole (absolutely no pun intended).
They just do what they do very well.
There’s nothing at all rusty about this album despite the title.
It just does what it says on the tin. Pop music that’s had a wee flirtation with indie but decided that they probably weren’t compatible.
The intro to title track Kingdom of Rust is reminiscent of The Devine Comedy (the band, not Dante’s magnum opus). There’s a superb locomotive of a rhythm and a sweetheart of a chorus that singles this one out as, well, a single.
You may be tempted to stick this one on the stereo on returning from a night out as a wind down from clubbing album given the vibes in the first two tracks.
Don’t go there because there’s a curveball coming that will hit you square in the guts which reminds you just why this lot have sustained.
Winterhill is a get your lighters aloft anthem. It’s what festivals were made for.
Catch Doves at T in the Park where they will confidently showcase this gem. This is Coldplay for happy people.
The likenesses between British indie rockers Doves and megastars Coldplay are obvious and expected as the two groups share similar backgrounds, influences and styles. But while the latter have spent the last several years chasing glamour by the tail, the former have opted to sit thoughtfully back and observe the world; a quality which has added a richness and legitimacy to their music.
Doves’ fourth album, Kingdom Of Rust, is an adventurous exploration of all the areas that lie directly outside of their Radiohead-inspired, ethereal and digitally-aided brand of indie rock. From the beautifully atmospheric sci-fi vibe of “Jetstream” to the country/western colored title track, Doves swell in and out of a multitude of different soundscapes, while retaining their inherent sound and integrity all the way through this eleven-track pleaser of the senses. Arranged by The Chemical Brothers’ Tim Rowlands, “10:03″ is among the album’s most innovatively mesmerizing tunes, while Doves’ look backwards to the likes of New Order and Queen for the upbeat and interesting “Compulsion.”
Lacking a single dull or poorly-written moment, Kingdom Of Rust is as honest and tuneful as any album out there today, and one that places Doves miles ahead of their counterparts. Records like this should simply not be ignored.
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