A review of Doves performance at Edinburgh’s La Belle, described as “life affirming” by our writer Neil Renton.
Picture the scene.
Me, on the edge of a sofa at a pre-gathering that felt very much like an after-party, when suddenly I was asked if I liked Doves.
“I think there’ll be a time and a place when I get them. But it’s not now,” I replied—which sounded as aloof then as it does now.
I was making a valid point. There are some acts you love when you’re younger but grow out of. Others are loved by everyone except you, passing you by.
For me, Doves were an act I didn’t love but still admired from a reasonable distance. Like from the end of a settee.
Then I discovered the time and place where I realised how great they really were—a Wednesday night in La Belle, Edinburgh.
I’ve been to gigs of all shapes and sizes. Perched high in arenas, packed into football stadiums, bouncing in festival fields—yet somehow, this felt like the busiest one I’d been to in years. Just before the band arrived, everyone seemed to appear.
From the bars, from the expertly run and reasonably priced merch stand—everyone was desperate to witness one of those moments you’ll talk about in misty-eyed tones, even if it meant your view was blocked by an obtrusive pillar.
Doves could have played a bigger venue, and no doubt they will. You can visualise a tour later in the year that will sell out as quickly as this one did.
But this reincarnation of Doves, without Jimi, was them testing the waters. Getting used to Jez taking over most of the vocals, with brother Andy backing him when needed. Like a boxer pushing himself off the canvas as the ref gets ready to count to ten, they had shaken themselves down and were ready for another go.
Jimi’s absence when it comes to touring and promoting Constellations for the Lonely led to apprehension in the run-up to the shows. His distinctive fragile, Northern vocals are one of the aspects that make Doves stand out from the crowd. You understand why some were reluctant to go along, fearing they might witness a car crash.
Rest assured, they still had that epic sound, even without their main vocalist.
They ended with ‘There Goes the Fear’ which was fitting, as they had eradicated the worry that they’d buckle under the weight of expectations.
What had come before was just as exceptional. The familiar thump of ‘Black and White Town’ got the crowd going. The rarely played ‘Mother Silverlake’ earned its place in the setlist.
With their new album out after this show, there might have been concerns that the audience wouldn’t be familiar with the material. But the songs that had already been released went down a treat.
‘Caught by the River,’ a song that hits home with an awareness of the struggles Jimi has been facing, was an emotional highlight. As was ‘Kingdom of Rust’ which sounded like the stripped-back country number it’s always been destined to be.
“Thanks for sticking by us,” Jez said throughout the night, punching the air in triumphant delight.
Let’s be honest, when Doves are as life-affirming as this, it’s not as if we have a choice, is it?