Good friend of the blog Paul Bingley has sent in a review of the recent Thetford Forest show which can be read below, sounds like it was a fantastic show.
When Doves were booked to perform on the same day that England launched their 2010 World Cup bid, someone at The Forestry Commission was playing with fire. That said, while the rest of the nation screamed at Robert Green for his one ugly moment, a small pocket of England’s green and pleasant land witnessed something beautiful.
It’s a testament to Doves that so many traipsed into Thetford Forest on June 12th. 3,500 may not have been the sell-out crowd that Simply Red bored the day before, but it was certainly a respectable figure given the national circumstances.
The audience was surprising in itself. Ear-muffed toddlers, George Cross-clad teenagers and even mobility-scootered pensioners all bathed in blissful ignorance of England’s shenanigans amid a grandstand of collapsible chairs, coolboxes and tartan blankets.
Essentially, everyone was in the middle of a wood for the trees. A member of the Forestry Commission climbed onstage to remind everyone exactly where their money was going. The cycle paths and so on were all expected benefit. It made for a pleasant change from the usual profiteering lapped up by most fat cat promoters.
Humility made way for The Cheek –an energetic five-piece from nearby Woodbridge. They announced themselves by playing a blustering set before looking rather hot. A number of young girls in the front row certainly thought so anyway.
A band that can’t be accused of boisterousness is Cherry Ghost. Simon Aldred’s melancholic compositions have a soothing way about them and each one beautifully complemented the surroundings. Several mature women behind me were left swooning over their Lambruscos.
A little after quarter past nine, Doves ambled onstage. The sun had just slipped below the tree line leaving a single star in the sky. It remained a focal point for the rest of the evening.
The fact is, Doves don’t thrive on spectacle. You won’t see Jimi Goodwin swinging a chainsaw above his head shouting obscenities at the Devil. But that’s what makes Doves all the more remarkable. Songs like set opener, Jetstream, have not been composed to be accompanied by fire-eating dancers and women wearing telephone hats. Like most Doves offerings, it’s an epic, multi-layered journey that’s designed to be listened to –and when delivered live, it’s utterly mesmerising.
Doves, themselves, seemed enthralled with Thetford’s response. Push Me On did just that –coaxing out every inhibition and cranking up the electricity in the process. It culminated in Goodwin blowing the order of the set by announcing the wrong song. Never mind, Pounding would just have to do. And it did –pulsatingly so.
They hurtled through The Places Between, performing a majestic version of Snowden and then painting vivid colours with the sound of Black and White Town, before whipping up a carnival atmosphere to the samba explosion of There Goes the Fear. Yet it’s a certain Spaceface that most fans would consider the evening’s crowning glory.
Written when Doves were not Doves, Spaceface is a 90s dance track that’s crossed a wide divide and landed on Planet Rock. Usually played for appreciative audiences, the track leaves Thetford Forest bouncing. Even the mature ladies didn’t care as they spilt their Lambruscos all over the Norfolk grass.
There was one more beautiful moment to come, however. Creating their own mini-moshpit next to me was a family. I was struck by the youngest child who waved his arms and nodded his head in approval at every song. When I congratulated the parents for having such a ‘with it’ son, it transpired that I was standing next our very own ‘richtdev’ and the ‘tdev’ family.
Who needs England when you’ve got beautiful moments like that?
On Friday Doves are returning to the Eden Project in Cornwall, playing with the band of the moment Mumford & Sons. If you are attending, do send in your pictures/setlist or a review just like Paul did.
Speaking of Cherry Ghost, who finally have got a website going which you can visit here. They did a live session last night for BBC’s 6 music. Check it out to hear new tracks from their new album which is out next week. How good does Black Fang sound?! Its been a bit of a wait since Thirst for Romance, but from what I have heard this record could top that, beautiful stuff.
To view the fantastic full set of photos taken by Zoe Applegate, visit the BBC Norfolk gig gallery here.
BBC’s Look East spoke to Jez before the gig, you can watch the video here.
Cheers to Pat for the links!
The second picture was taken by tulatiger who’s picture of the the Thetford setlist and tamborine from Jimi we featured yesterday. Click here to view more of those cracking pictures.
Doves are off out doing the festivals this weekend. Tonight its the Isle Of Wight Festival. Doves take the main stage at 6:35pm til 7:20pm. ITV2 are covering the festival (thanks to an optional extra for the heads up!) so expect to see some Doves. If you manage to get some Doves on tape, let us know!
Saturday its the big headline show at Thetford Forest. Then on Sunday Doves play Rockness near Inverness in Scotland. That show is headlined by the Strokes. You may recall The Strokes supported Doves on the first US tour back in 2001. So maybe a festival collaboration there?
If you attend one of the shows. Do send in your reviews/pics/setlist etc as always! Personally, I will be glued to the World Cup. You can catch a Doves DJ set at the Relentless Garage for the England v Algeria match next Friday, more info here.
Norwich based Outline recently spoke to Jez about the upcoming Thetford Forest show. As well as talking about the Thetford gig, the interviewer asked some interesting questions for a change. There may be a hint as to what to expect in the future outside of Doves..
You recently announced a two year break from touring and recording and I wondered what your thinking was behind that?
The main reason is to get off the carousel of tour, studio, tour, studio, tour, studio which just got a bit boring. We’re gonna do some individual projects and then hopefully come back and do the Doves fifth album with something to bring to the table. I think we all need to do individual things for our own sanity really. We’ll come back revitalised ‘cause we’ll have been to different musical territories than we would with Doves so it’s gonna be a good thing.
Are you going to be doing individual music projects or will it be other stuff?
Well we’ll be doing music separately but I can’t tell you anything about it yet.
You were Sub Sub before you were Doves. Have you ever been tempted to release a dance track under an alter ego?
Well that might be part of one of our projects outside Doves, so you might see that, yeah.
There’s been a rumour floating around for a while that you’re going to be doing something with Guy Garvey. Is that still on the cards or has it gone on the back burner?
Yeah that could still be on the cards, absolutely. We’re good mates with Elbow so that could well be a reality.
Cherry Ghost and The Cheek will be supporting Doves at their gig at Thetford Forest on Saturday June 12.
Cherry Ghost – who won the Ivor Novello Award for best contemporary song with People Help The People – recently played with Doves on their indoor UK tour.
The Cheek hail from Woodbridge in Suffolk and are building up a national fan base.
Doves are to play Thetford Forest in Suffolk as part of the forestry commission’s gig series on June 12th. Tickets priced £28 go on sale this Friday at 9am.
From NME.com:
Doves have announced that they will play a gig in Thetford Forest in Suffolk on June 12.
The show will be part of the Forestry Commission’s forthcoming gig series. James Morrison, Keane and Simply Red have already been announced as set to play gigs in UK forests later this year as part of the whole event.
Tickets for Doves’ show go on sale at 9am (GMT) on Friday (January 15). To check the availability of Doves tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/TICKETS now, or call 0871 230 1094.