Doves (and HAL)

Tonight the Doves are supported by HAL, so I go along to give them a listen. The first few songs are passable, but they rapidly evolve into a cruise ship band, and after listening to Beach Boys style harmonies going Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa and keyboards which just go Da Da Da Da for what seems like eternity, I can't stomach anymore and scarper off to the bar, muttering how it could have been oh-so-much-different if The Magic Numbers had been supporting.

Soon, however the bar empties and I go up to a hall full of high anticipation. We all wait expectantly for the main event, the lights dim a cheer goes up and the Doves take to the stage. Opening up and letting rip with Pounding and it's a powerful wall of drums and guitars and it goes down a storm.



Jimi Goodwin, playing his bass left handed and with a fuller beard than I remember looks pleased to be on stage, and calls out 'Exeter, La La La' in a football-esque chant and we respond back. The band look and sound slick and professional and far too good for such a small venue. Playing tracks off all three albums with projections in the background and little pause they tear through fifteen tracks before the encore.

The only downside is the audience, few of them respond and there's the occasional pocket of dancing but most clearly are just there for something to do and amazingly they just don't get involved. How they are able to stand so still is beyond me.



The music has depth and is masterfully presented okay it may not be completely original in places but it's great stuff. The crowd enthuse (at last) for an encore and the drummer saunters out with a harmonica and Jimi stands beside a newly brought out large drum. They perform Here It Comes before swapping back to the more usual line up for Satellites and end with their anthem There Goes The Fear. It's belted out and we yell it back, well some of us, the rest of the apathetic audience just stand there stunned!



Another glorious gig and they're so polished, they must surely be ready to play to some huge audiences now. The new songs sit perfectly beside the older ones, they play an hour and a half of masterfully created soundscapes and I look forward to seeing them again hopefully at a festival or too.

Set list:
Pounding
Words
Black and White Town
Where We're Calling From
New York
Sea Song
Sky Starts Falling
Caught By The River
Darker
Snowden
One Of These Days
Last Broadcast
Ambition
Almost Forgot
Cedar Room
..........
Here It Comes
Satellites
There Goes The Fear

There's more photos of Doves here, and photos of HAL here (at this gig).

FUTURE GIGS