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.
by admin · Published May 6, 2009
· Last modified May 17, 2020
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.
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.
The Manchester Evening News have given last night’s show at the Academy the thumbs up:
Their fourth album, the excellent Kingdom of Rust, doesn’t reinvent Doves into something unrecognisable, but it certainly broadens their musical horizons and as ever, live, every moment is sonically enhanced into something epic and communal.
This is no more evident than on opener Jetstream. It’s always been palpable, but never before have Doves so eagerly recalled their early Hacienda influences and the result is a wonderful amalgamation of throbbing bass, subtle Krautrock ticks and shimmering guitars that soar majestically.
Highlights keep coming. Winter Hill may have a guitar lick reminiscent of U2 (there, I said it) but it is a trademark Doves favourite in waiting.
The Doves’ newest album, Kingdom of Rust, is definitely not for everyone. It is a cacophony of minor, at times difficult-on-the-ear sounds. That being said, it is likely to be one of the most intriguing, original albums you’ve heard in a long time. The entire album has a strange, almost electronica-like aura, perhaps most notably displayed in the track, “The Outsiders.” It is a little creepy at times, but in general makes for an overarching sound that is both indie and at times reminiscent of classic rock. “House of Mirrors” is probably the most interesting track of the album, constantly changing the prevalent rhythm and tempo while spontaneously adding sound effects and featuring incredible guitar instrumentals. The listener will never get bored, but may, on the contrary, wish for a break, one that comes around the middle of the album. The listener is given room to digest the initial fast-paced music with much slower-paced tracks, beginning with “10:03.” “Ship of Fools” is another track worthy of mention, as its background flow somehow emits the feeling of being on a ship at sea. The Doves have changed since their most widely known album, 2002’s The Last Broadcast, but an open-minded listener will bask in the innovative glory of Kingdom of Rust.
The band musters a lot of sound for just three guys, carefully layered and interestingly developed, rather than relying on repetitive chords and lines. Of particular note is guitarist Jez Williams, who manages varied effects, from wah-wahs to heavy distortion dripping with resonance to heavy incisive licks, sometimes even within the same song, while making them all seem not only to fit, but also to be absolutely necessary.
Doves bring their most ambitious and bold material out towards the end of Kingdom of Rust. Before guitarist Jez Williams begins singing on “Compulsion,” the sound can be confused with that of another Mancunian threesome, the Bee Gees. With Andy Williams tapping away on the top hat and cymbals and Goodwin laying down a groovy baseline, this song just makes you want to dance like its 1975.
This has been 18 months in the making and they’ve secreted themselves away in a Cheshire farmhouse to record it. The fruits of their extended labour is an album that’s cerebral and eclectic –experimental even. At times they’re wind-up merchants, building up a fever-pitch sense of anticipation without ever flourishing into the longed-for killer chorus. Others range from a Chemical Brothers-kind wallop through to Who-like meandering rock anthems –and that’s before the quiet, orchestral rock intensity and far-off shimmerings. As for where the Lancastrian Spaghetti western-sounding title track fits in –well, it doesn’t.
Stragglers from the ’80s Madchester scene, this Northern England trio has been rising like a phoenix since a fire burned down the Goodwin twins’ studio in 1996 and they fluttered away from dance-music, as Sub-Sub, into the Doves’ beating alt-rock sound. Their third disc, Some Cities, was their best yet, and their ability to swoop over the landscape, from close city streets to open country field, is on display here from the start. “Jetstream” whirs to life on a beat that becomes choppier and catchier as a gentle pulse settles in behind it, only for it all to implode at the percussion-heavy climax—an urgent riff that never becomes desperate. The title track is a particularly elegant, fine-tuned example of Doves’ signature rambles through rising rock-chords, rolling folk-ballad sounds and the English landscape: “a distant sound of thunder out on the moor … it takes an ocean of trust.” The openings to most tracks here offer a greater, whimsical promise than most openings on most alt-rock discs. And the band stutters, ducks and dodges around enough to give its sound a new rhythm each time, as in the looping jangle of “10:03,” clatter-and-ring of “Spellbound” and fuzzing surge of “House of Mirrors.” Only “Compulsion” is a little ponderous. Kingdom of Rust is the sort of album that crystallizes a band’s style without petrifying it into brittle amber. There’s no stale air to oxidize the sound here—nothing but a soaring exhalation pushing against the limits.
They might live largely in the shadow of Euro contemporaries Coldplay and Snow Patrol here stateside, but Manchester band Doves deftly replicate the feats (and the faults) of both bands on their fourth full-length Kingdom of Rust.
Recorded in a farmhouse studio in the agricultural countryside of Cheshire, England, several cuts soaked up the group’s rustic surroundings. Take title track “Kingdom of Rust,” on which the blokes sound a bit like an electrified Coldplay out on the range.
But the majority of the album is the same old broad, likeable Brit-rock the world knows and loves, tweaked just enough to keep things interesting. Like the sprawling, taut opener “Jetstream,” built on electro-pulses and abbreviated guitar riffs.
“10:03″ builds with similar tension until finally relenting into a full-on rock ‘n roll tangent, a welcome respite from all the dramatic build-ups, practically protected by law in the Brit-rock genre.
“Compulsion” is a sexy, spacey, groove-riding diversion, but only an exception to the rule. Doves, for all the electro tinges and dance-rock infusions and soaring mood-building, play most comfortably within the confines of classic, guitar-driven British pop-rock, and they play it well.
The Doves’ new CD doesn’t vary wildly from the three that preceded it (the most recent being “Some Cities” four years ago). It’s still big on foreboding bass lines, tall walls of guitars and vocals that cascade in a broad and leisurely way. That isn’t to dismiss the melodies entirely. They can be fetching. But ultimately it’s the stark darkness of the mellotron, the sweet glisten of the guitars and the fine swish of cymbals that gives these Doves flight.
Whether it’s the taut, minor-key riffings of lead-off “Jetstream” or the twangy swing-along of the later tracks, much of the album is strangely reminiscent in tone of a spaghetti Western. In fact, the first few tracks produce a sonic tension that you expect at any moment to be interrupted by Clint Eastwood kicking down the saloon doors, brandishing a pistol and booting skulking villains over the bartop counter.
At last, Doves return with their first album in four long years, Kingdom of Rust ($14)—and trust us when we say that it was worth the wait. If you liked the British trio’s previous work, there’s nothing you won’t love here. The album is rich with brooding vocals, intense guitar riffs and songs that stick. Unfamiliar? Think U2 or Coldplay and you’ve got a starting point. Stand-outs include “Compulsion,” “House of Mirrors,” and the title track.
The band’s on far surer footing when it doesn’t deviate from the classic Doves sound. It’s not surprising that the first single is the title track, with its wonderfully gloomy, country-style shuffle and chiming, bell-like flourishes. My other favorite, and hopeful contender for second single, is “Winter Hill,” a nice little rocker with a psychedelic whirlwind of a middle section.”
Doves ain’t a sexy band (blokey, beardy and almost certainly a little bit bald…), but they’re a bloody good one. Like Elbow, they’ve been grafting in the Brit-rock gutter watching mates like Coldplay rob all their best ideas and bag all the awards, money and Hollywood wives for nearly a decade now. Do the right thing and actually go and buy new album Kingdom of Rust after you’ve checked this tune out on myspace. – because man cannot live by critical acclaim alone. myspace.com/dovesmyspace
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