Doves – ABC, Glasgow – 15th March 2009

I think it’s safe to say that there was an air of anticipation in the Glasgow venue; after all it has been four long years since the Cheshire trio last toured.

When the guys took to the stage it was no surprise that they received a warm welcome, greeted with sincere affection from the ABC’s sell-out crowd, with bassist and vocalist Jimi Goodwin stating ‘It’s been a long time Glasgow’.

Tracks from their forthcoming fourth album, Kingdom of Rust, were well received; from the atmospheric and powerful set opener, Jetstream, and the anthemic, blistering guitars of The Greatest Denier to Andy Williams' drumming on the album’s title track, Kingdom of Rust.

At times there seemed to be some kind of problem with the sound dampened on some tracks, which made their performance seem a bit unpolished.

New material was interspersed with well loved anthems like Black and White Town and Pounding. With the night drawing to a close with time-honoured epics such as Here It Comes and The Last Broadcast before ending on a high with the exhilarating masterpiece that is, There Goes the Fear.

Doves still do what they do best, the melancholy and euphoric in equal measures but their new material just proves that their doing it better than they have ever done it before.

Their new album might just see them get the recognition they deserve and follow the success of their north-western brethren, Elbow.

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

Starlet