Doves / The Delgados - Exeter University - 29/11/02
4/5
By: Thomas Hannan
If ever a more melodic, bittersweet and downright beautiful pair of bands shared a bill together before, it was probably in a dream. Here we have Doves, the Manchester boys-done-good deservedly strutting their stuff around the UK in celebration of a fantastic year which has seen them gain a number one album and widespread acclaim, and friends The Delgados - a band so adorably great that it's ludicrous we don't spend more of our time on our knees giving thanks for their existence. So, thought of a better pairing yet? Don't waste your time.
The Delgados are special. They use flutes, they wear hats, they drink wine from a bottle on-stage. They've made a wonderful album in the recent 'Hate', but hardly anyone seems to have noticed. Subsequently, at a stage in their career where they've got both the experience and skill to be doing a tour such as this heading the bill, they're presented with the challenge of winning over another room where they are largely unknown. As nice as it is to have some prior knowledge, you feel a certain amount of jealousy towards those who haven't heard them yet. Wouldn't it be great to hear The Delgados for the first time again? Thankfully, it's great to listen to them for the millionth time.
Broadcasting a sound much larger than expected, thanks largely to the help of numerous keyboards, DAT machines and a three-piece string-section, it's a note-perfect set of charming intricacy from start to finish. And, though the overall effect may prove consistently ace, occasionally, it particularly soars; take guitarist Emma Pollock's beautiful vocals on recent single 'Coming In From The Cold', for example, and when they up the pace somewhat for an indecently ebuillent 'All You Need Is Hate'... Honestly, the words 'Hate is all around, find it in your heart and every waking sound,' have never sounded so comforting... Simply beautiful music, and fittingly, the crowd are visibly impressed. 'It's a surprise, we always get such an enthusiastic reception,' says a softly-spoken Pollock. No wonder to us.
As for those Doves, they have a plan, and it's a loud one. It may well be something along the lines of playing at such a high volume that your ears instantly are only able to pick up swirls of floating sound. Or, on the other hand, perhaps these songs are good enough to create such an effect themselves. It's most probably the latter, but they do seem to have developed a love of good, old white noise, almost every track building to a cacophony of skyscraper proportions.
Thus, where The Delgados are soft and understated, Doves are shining a light straight in your eyes and ordering you to follow it. The aptly named 'Pounding' starts things off in aptly epic fashion, the tribal beat of the drum being one of those that has the capacity to shake the contents of your rib-cage. Wasting no time, it's straight into a heavenly 'There Goes The Fear'. It always has been one of those pieces of music that you wouldn't mind one bit if it carried on infinitely, but tonight, you can physically feel the disappointment in the hall when it comes to an end.
Luckily, there's ample more where that came from. 'Catch The Sun', dedicated to George Harrison who died a year previously this day, is a joy to behold, the room soaked in a soft, yellow light and a general atmosphere of good will. 'The Cedar Room', too, reminds us that the grandiose and highly emotional approach we know Doves for presently isn't something they're simply dabbling in; they've been doing this for a good while now, and they've damn near perfected it. The only thing this evening that puts them off their precise course is friendly jibes from Manchester United fans in the audience, causing them to restart a song after it collapse in laughter. 'That's for dissing Man City,' says Jimi Goodwin, which is the end of that.
Goodwin, for all his relatively little movement around the stage, is full of charisma. 'I've seen a few dinner suits around tonight. Is there a prom or something? Either that or the standard of people at Doves gigs has gone up!' If it was the same standard as tonight's music, this room would be packed with royalty. It's invigorating to see a band work so perfectly without slipping into routine, and Doves manage wonderfully. They know they'll never be a good-time party band ('This'll cheer you up,' states Goodwin sarcastically before a sombre 'The Man Who Told Everything'), but also know that at what they do, they simply can't be beaten.
It's oddly touching to hear them pay homage to their Sub Sub days by slipping in some early 90s rave music as the set-closer; how's that for evolving..? Such is their mesmerising nature that they even make this sound near glorious. It seems each step they take leads them into ever more magical territory, and thankfully for us they don't show any signs of going wayward. They're shining that light at you for a reason... You know the way to go.
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