Doves Live Review at the Sheffield Octagon by Rob Johnson
Indie legends Doves are enjoying a victory lap at the moment, having just released their career-spanning best of So, Here We Are. Despite their success, frontman Jimi Goodwin has struggled with mental health issues and substance abuse, and so brothers Jez and Andy Williams have taken the difficult decision to tour without their lead singer.
Doves kick things off at the Sheffield Octagon with a spirited run through of ‘Words’, the first of four tracks from their Mercury-nominated second album, The Last Broadcast. While the band sounds tight, and guitarist Jez Williams does his best on vocals, there is no denying that there is a Jimi-shaped hole both onstage and coming out of the speakers. Having said that, this iteration of Doves is undoubtedly better than no Doves at all, and ‘Carousels’ from the band’s fifth record, ‘The Universal Want’, serves as a timely reminder that this is not a legacy act – Doves still have something to offer. This is further confirmed with a stellar run through of new track, ‘Spirit of Your Friend’.
The hypnotic opening riff to ‘Kingdom of Rust’ sounds as vital now as it did upon release in 2009, ‘Catch the Sun’ is quite simply a banger, and while ‘Pounding’ undoubtedly suffers without Goodwin’s soaring vocals, the goodwill from the sizable audience ensures that the track hits as hard as such an iconic song deserves to. Everyone is willing the Williams brothers to pull this off, especially when drummer Andy Williams leaves the drum stool and takes on lead vocals for a couple of tracks.
Doves close out the first part of the set with an epic rendition of ‘The Cedar Room’ and a triumphant ‘Black and White Town’ before returning for the encore with ‘Snowden’ – a track that captures the band’s sonic ingenuity. ‘There Goes the Fear’ has the room enraptured before a welcome cover version of ‘Space Face’ from their old band Sub Sub brings the curtain down. While the Williams brothers will never replace Jimi Goodwin, they have a fantastic time trying, and considering their struggles, we should be grateful for any version of Doves right now. They are still one of the most vital indie rock bands in the country.
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