Doves @ Brixton Academy
Last night we were back in Brixton, this time to see Doves play the first of two nights at the south London cavern.

Things started off a little shaky, with Pounding sounding flat and a little lacking. It wasn't until new song, Black And White Town, that things start to warm up. Perhaps Jimi and the boys were a little nervous; he's worried that we're not "connecting" mainly because they are about a metre back from the front of the stage to make room for a film crew. Jimi really shouldn't worry - from where we were standing, about 10 rows from the front, Doves are treated with a reverence that other bands could only dream of. After the band finish playing The Last Broadcast the crowd continue to sing the melody back to band, which seems to touch Jimi and Jez.

I have a colleague at work who asserts that Doves have 2 types of song, the pounding type song, or the one that starts quiet and gets loud. Essentially this is true, and the 11 new tracks on Some Cities don't do much to persuade you otherwise. But within these templates they do have some interesting and very catchy songs.

Support was from The Magic Numbers, who we've now seen twice in the last couple of months. They're an OK band but there's just something I'm not sure about - essentially they're a bunch of hippies making nice songs for nice people. They're not ready to hold a venue as big as Brixton and some of their gentle melodies are lost somewhere past the first couple of rows.

The Little Flames / The Dead 60s @ The 100 Club
I sold my Dead 60s tickets to a friend from work. He's usually into main stream bands so I was a little worried what he would make of a skuzzy little club gig. I need'nt have worried - he loved both bands and has said that he'll go out and buy The Dead 60s album when it comes out in May. My work here is done.
- posted by Nigella @ 6:24 PM