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They love local lads done good in Manchester, and Doves are received with raptures from a home-town audience tonight. It’s only another local hero, albeit an adopted one, who gets as good a reception when Jimi Goodwin dedicates ‘The Last Broadcast’ to George Best. Local pride is in abundance here, none more so than in Gigwise’s heart when our two (count ‘em!) favourite local kebab outlets feature in the video montage that accompanies the fantastic ‘Black and White Town’.
They follow on from a tight, competent set of classically sunny, indie pop tunes from fellow Mancs Polytechnic, who hail from just round the corner from said kebab emporia. Big up the Chorlton Massive. Singer Dylan Giles has a rhythmic drawl reminiscent of his namesake, and is partial to the odd moment of sweet melody. His four fellow ‘technics assemble a sound that is equal parts early 90s guitars, prog synths and hippy love-in.
The main event open their sixth appearance at the Apollo with ‘Snowden’, their latest single, which shows off the more confident, if lighter, direction in their writing. But it’s the familiar numbers that go down best in a set which even-handedly includes old faves and stuff from this year’s Some Cities LP, including second number ‘Sky Starts Falling’. 2002’s ‘Pounding’ is, of course, just that, relentlessly beating its way into everyone’s soul. ‘By The River’ and ‘There Goes The Fear’ confirm this lot as masters of the beauty and decay that go hand in hand in the Big City.
We can also exclusively reveal that the owners of Charcoal Kitchen, Barlow Moor Road, were genuinely chuffed to hear of their new-found fame. The Doves' love was spread far beyond the Apollo. That’s civic pride in action, folks.
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