Doves – Live at the Glasgow ABC (15.03.2009)

// March 16th, 2009 // Music Reviews

It seems to be becoming accepted fact that Doves are about to “do an Elbow” this year and become one of the most important bands in the country. After years of perseverance through a variety of setbacks another bunch of lads from the north of England might see their loyal fan base multiplied several times over after the release of their eagerly anticipated new record, Kingdom of Rust. I’ve only heard 6 tracks so far but still, a Mercury Music Award nomination later this year would not surprise me at all. It has been 4 years since their last album, the critically-acclaimed Some Cities, and they are about to return with what might just be their best music yet.

We got to the ABC in Sauchiehall Street around 7:30 and it was still fairly empty. A matter of moments to get served at the bar and time for a couple of leisurely pints while being initially bored by The Invisible before becoming more intrigued by them the longer they played. The PA system used by Doves and The Invisible at the ABC tended to muffle the music and most of the nuance was lost in the mix. I checked out The Invisible on MySpace this morning and they sounded much better than I remember from the gig. The Invisible have got a self-titled début album out I gather and it seems to be worth a closer look.

By the time the lads from Doves were warmly welcomed onto the stage I’d taken up position front and centre within touching distance of the barrier. Their opener on the night was Jetstream, which will also open the new album. Doves had released this track as a free download on their website and the crowd seemed to be familiar with it already. It’s a great opener but I felt immediately that Doves were letting themselves down a little with the muffled sound quality of their live performance. Their music has bags of energy and drive but a more delicate touch on the sound levels would greatly enhance the overall experience. A live band performance will always lose a little of the detail to be found on record but it needn’t be to the extent heard here. To make another Elbow/Doves comparison, Elbow’s live performance a couple of weeks ago at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange had none of the overdriven muffling but all of the drive and epic grandeur of their music intact.

That aside, Doves, what a great band! Newer material was peppered with older well loved anthems such as Black and White Town, Rise and Pounding. New track 10:03 sounds like a belter and the new album’s release on April 6th cannot come around soon enough. There was even a short outing for old favourite the Knight Rider theme while Jez’s guitar was being given some attention. Here’s a short YouTube video of that, shot by the same girl who took the photo of Jimi adorning this review. I must’ve been standing about 4 or 5 feet away at the time. Scottish Doves fans can catch them again on Wednesday 22nd April at the Barrowland in Glasgow or on Thursday 23rd April at Edinburgh’s new HMV Picture House.

Setlist

Jetstream
Snowden
Winter Hill
Rise
The Greatest Denier
Pounding
10:03
Words
Almost Forgot Myself
Kingdom of Rust
Black & White Town
Ambition
The Outsiders
Caught By The River
—encore—-
Northenden
Here It Comes
Last Broadcast
There Goes The Fear

Photo of Jimi by Alice