English

Noun

doves

1. Plural of dove

Doves are an English indie rock band which formed in Wilmslow, Cheshire, England, but most of their early gigs were in the city of Manchester. The band comprises brothers Jez Williams (guitar) and Andy Williams (drums), along with Jimi Goodwin (bass, vocals, guitar).

History

Formation, Sub Sub: 1985–1998

The formation of Doves can be traced back to Wilmslow, Cheshire, where the Williams brothers and Goodwin met at school aged 15. Jimi Goodwin was at the time playing in a band called "The Risk". Jimi played lead guitar with the band and the other members were Joe Roberts (vocals & Rhodes keyboard), Steve Green (rhythm guitar), Dermot Ahern (bass guitar), Jimi's cousin Pat Goodwin (drums) and managed by Tim Mulryan. The Risk used to practice at Handforth Youth Club and met with some moderate success, mainly playing in Manchester pubs and at The Gallery (Peter Street), The Boardwalk (Little Peter Street) and The International (Anson Road in Rusholme). They also played at The Tunnel Club, Greenwich and at SoapAid. A 5 track demo entitled take five was recorded at Spirit studios in Manchester. Meanwhile, back in 1981, Andy and Jez Williams formed a band with school mate and bass player, Tim Whiteley, recording and gigging from the age of 12 onwards. Various line ups followed, and a brief TV appearance in 1986, then, in 1988, Jez Williams and Whiteley became members of Metro Trinity, a Manchester indie band, with Jonny Male latterly of Republica, and released a Debris Flexi Disc (Manchester Indie Fanzine) with the Inspiral Carpets. Metro Trinity played a number of gigs including the Boardwalk and the legendary Hacienda. They also released an EP called Die Young, on Cafeteria Records, recorded in Brixton, with drummer Colin Rocks, who was eventually replaced by Andy Williams due to other commitments. In 1991, the Williams brothers and Jimi Goodwin formed dance collective called Sub Sub, which had moderate success in the early 1990s, most famously with the hit single "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)", which reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart. However, Sub Sub's success was brief; their inability to produce a second hit drove them into obscurity. Badly Drawn Boy. Doves' second album The Last Broadcast was released two years later, reaching #1 in the UK album chart and was again nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. This record contained the track "There Goes the Fear", which reached #3 in the UK singles chart despite only being released for one day before it was deleted. In 2003 the band released a B-sides compilation, Lost Sides, and a DVD entitled Where We're Calling From. The DVD included all their music videos to date, as well as incidental videos played before the start of their Lost Souls and Last Broadcast tour. Also on the DVD was their gig at Cornwall's Eden Project, recorded in Summer 2002.

Doves recorded Some Cities, their third studio album, away from urban influences, and in cottages tucked away in the countrysides of Snowdonia in Wales, Darlington, England and around Loch Ness, Scotland. "Lyrically, the theme of cities and towns and change started cropping up a lot…which was strange because we were recording and writing in the countryside, but it started taking this real urban shape". says Jimi Goodwin. Some Cities was released in February 2005 and went straight to #1 in the UK album chart, aided by some of the strongest reviews they'd received to date, and preceded by the single "Black and White Town," which reached #6 in the UK singles chart. The song "Black and White Town" was inspired by the social divide in their home town of Wilmslow. On 18 June 2005 the band opened for U2 at Twickenham Stadium in London.

The band are currently working on new material for their fourth album. The album was originally expected to be released in late 2007, but according to their blog, it was delayed. They have recorded tracks including '10.03', 'Winter Hill', 'Disco Eyam', 'Devils in the Detail', 'Spellbound', 'House Of Mirrors', 'Drifter', 'Kingdom Of Rust' and 'Jetstream'. The band also has an unofficial fourth member named Martin Roman Rebelski. He plays keyboards, but has more recently produced his own album, Thanks For Your Thoughts.

Discography

References

External links

• Official website
• Early Doves interview 1998