 |
| |
|
| |
Live Review
by SaschaS
4-12-2002
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Doves do lo-fi shows masterfully |
|
Live: Doves
Brixton Academy, London
Tuesday, December 3, 2002
Doves’ great songs are obscured by nothing
Doves are unique band inasmuch that they make music to the old fashioned (gold?) standard, i.e. – songs of quality and distinction that is balanced with lo-fi image. If they had someone fronting them with a personality approaching Robbie-size, they’d be bigger than Coldplay. Alas, there isn’t and that’s what’s going to prolong the journey to a global success. (Still, as a case of another Mancunian rock-star’s recent example demonstrated – too much fame may lead to losing your bite on reality!)
The Mercury-nominated band’s second album, ‘The Last Broadcast’, is a collection of songs that truly moves, engages one’s feelings and grabs one’s attention with sheer brilliance, all played live with passion, gusto and mastery that occasionally makes one forget low characterisations. Despite a fanciful sepia video accompanying band’s arrival on stage and the subsequent light-show, it is a performance that solely relies on music.
And they have it aplenty, songs that are so catchy and so stuffed with life-affirming force that makes the band easily dominant over all indie-rocking popsters. Performance of hits, ‘Here It Comes’, ‘Sea Song’, ‘Man Who Told Everything’, ‘Caught By The River’, ‘Catch The Sun’ and ‘There Goes The Fear’, simply demonstrate that this is a band with melodic-cum-melancholic tunes galore, that are somehow uplifting.
The Manchester veteran trio’s biggest downfall is that they are honest: there is no pretence, there are no big (fake) projections and there’s distinct lack of antics. It all comes down to Jimmy Goodwin and Andy and Jaz Williams truly being themselves on and off-stage. Goodwin’s vocal also tends to get overwhelmed with the tonal textures at times but then – he’s a decent but not a spectacular vocal stylist.
They were adored, for a second sold-out night in a row, by their devotees and one can easily see that their song-rate will see the band outlasting many in-vogue-artistes! For the sheer show they could have easily been upstaged by the fellow Mercury nominees (for ‘Hate’) in support, The Delgados. The 10-strong Glasgow outfit refused to shift into overdrive, as we witnessed them doing a couple of weeks ago at the ICA (see the onsite review) and delivered a perfect warm-up that never threatened to overshadow the headliners.
The Doves members believe in the power of songs and it is a very noble standpoint; even the name of their label is appropriate.
SaschaS
4-12-2002
Doves album ‘The Last Broadcast’ is available now on Heavenly
|
|
|
