Doves

Three Cheshire friends who rose from the ashes of the dance act Sub Sub to make Lost Souls and The Last Broadcast, then went on to three UK number one albums.

Origin: Wilmslow, Cheshire, England
Years active: 1998-present
Genres: indie rock
Labels: Casino Records, Heavenly Recordings, Astralwerks, Capitol Records, EMI North
Also known as: Sub Sub

From Sub Sub to Doves

Jimi Goodwin and the twin brothers Jez and Andy Williams met at Wilmslow High School at fifteen and found each other again at the Haçienda in Manchester in 1989. As the dance act Sub Sub they put out "Space Face" in 1991, and in 1993 "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" reached number 3 on the UK singles chart. Their only album as Sub Sub, Full Fathom Five, came out in September 1994. Their mentor was Rob Gretton, the manager of New Order, and they were on his label, Rob's Records.

In February 1996, on the twins' birthday, the Sub Sub studio in Ancoats burned down. Jez Williams later described the choice as one between throwing in the towel and carrying on, and they carried on, becoming Doves in 1998. Surviving material from the studio was released as Delta Tapes in February 1998. Gretton suggested they rent New Order's studio in Cheetham Hill, and in a windowless room there they spent years working out how they wanted to sound. With Gretton's help they started their own label, Casino Records, and put out the Cedar EP in November 1998, limited to 1,000 copies. Goodwin, who had been the bass player, took over as lead singer once the band heard how he sounded on "The Cedar Room" and "Break Me Gently" and stopped looking for an outside vocalist.

Lost Souls and The Last Broadcast

Two more EPs followed in 1999, the Sea EP in May and Here It Comes in August. In late 1998 Doves had become the backing band for Badly Drawn Boy, and they played on several songs of his album The Hour of Bewilderbeast. Gretton died in 1999, and the debut album is dedicated to him. In July 2000 Doves opened for Oasis at Wembley Stadium and Murrayfield Stadium. Lost Souls came out on Heavenly Recordings on 3 April 2000, reached number 16 in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize, which went to Badly Drawn Boy's The Hour of Bewilderbeast. Its seven-minute single The Cedar Room is the song the band themselves point to as the one where they found their sound.

The Last Broadcast arrived on 29 April 2002 after a burst of writing and recording that Jez Williams called incredibly fast by Doves standards. The band moved between studios for it, from Revolution in Manchester and Parr Street in Liverpool to Peter Gabriel's Real World in Bath and two London studios. It went straight to number one and sold 52,000 copies in its first week. The lead single, There Goes the Fear, was released and deleted on the same day and still reached number 3. The album was nominated for the Mercury Prize a second time and lost to Ms. Dynamite. The B-sides compilation Lost Sides and the DVD Where We're Calling From followed in September 2003.

Some Cities and Kingdom of Rust

Some Cities was recorded away from the city but is about change in Manchester, and the Guardian called it a love letter to the place. Producer Ben Hillier worked on it with the band after an attempt with William Orbit did not work out. Released on 21 February 2005, it became their second number one, led by Black and White Town, which reached number 6. Guy Garvey of Elbow sang backing vocals on two songs. In June 2005 they opened for U2 at Twickenham Stadium.

Kingdom of Rust was recorded from 2006 to early 2009 in a converted farmhouse barn in Cheshire. It came out of a strained process in which all three members had writer's block. The album came out on 6 April 2009 and entered the UK chart at number two. A best-of, The Places Between, followed in April 2010, and the band then went on an indefinite hiatus.

Hiatus and return

Goodwin made a solo album, Odludek, in 2014. Jez and Andy Williams formed Black Rivers and released a self-titled album in 2015. In December 2018 the trio announced a return, starting with a show at the Royal Albert Hall in March 2019 for the Teenage Cancer Trust. The Universal Want followed on 11 September 2020 and went to number one, their third album to do so.

In October 2021 the band cancelled a tour because of Goodwin's mental health. Their sixth album, Constellations for the Lonely, came out on 28 February 2025 and reached number 5 in the UK. Goodwin did not tour with it, and the Williams brothers have shared vocals live with an expanded band.

Members

Jimi Goodwin lead vocals, bass, acoustic guitar (1998-present)
Jez Williams guitar, vocals, programming (1998-present)
Andy Williams drums, vocals, harmonica (1998-present)
Martin Rebelski keyboards (touring) (1998-present)

Records

Lost Souls 2000 · Heavenly Recordings
The debut, made over several years in a windowless Manchester studio after the Sub Sub fire.
The Last Broadcast 2002 · Heavenly Recordings
The second album, a UK number one built around There Goes the Fear.
Some Cities 2005 · Heavenly Recordings
The third album, written away from the city and about what was happening to Manchester.
Kingdom of Rust 2009 · Heavenly Recordings
The fourth album, recorded between 2006 and early 2009 in a barn studio in Cheshire.
The Universal Want 2020 · Heavenly Recordings and Virgin/EMI
The comeback album after ten years, and their third UK number one.

Songs

The Cedar Room Lost Souls · 2000
The 1998 debut single, seven and a half minutes long on the album, and the song Doves say gave them their sound.
There Goes the Fear The Last Broadcast · 2002
A single released and deleted on the same day that still reached number 3.
Words The Last Broadcast · 2002
The second track of The Last Broadcast, sung by Jez Williams and adopted by Manchester City.
M62 Song The Last Broadcast · 2002
An acoustic adaptation of King Crimson's Moonchild, sung by Andy Williams.
Caught by the River The Last Broadcast · 2002
The last song written for The Last Broadcast, and its closer.
Black and White Town Some Cities · 2005
The Motown-flavored lead single from Some Cities, and Doves' second top-ten hit.

Sub Sub, Badly Drawn Boy, New Order, Elbow

Where to go next

Reference

Doves (band) Band history from Sub Sub to Constellations for the Lonely.
Lost Souls (Doves album) Background, recording, release and personnel for the debut.
The Last Broadcast (album) Recording sessions, singles and credits for the second album.

Writing and criticism

The Genius of Lost Souls by Doves Guitar-focused look at the debut, with the story of the VIBE studio.
Pitchfork on Lost Souls 2001 review written as three competing critical voices.
Pitchfork on The Last Broadcast 2002 track-by-track review of the second album.
Pitchfork on Kingdom of Rust 2009 review of the fourth album.
Pitchfork on The Places Between 2010 review of the best-of and a look back at the career.
Pitchfork on The Universal Want 2020 review of the comeback album.
The Guardian on Some Cities Short 2005 review of the third album.
The Guardian review round-up, April 2002 Includes a short review of The Last Broadcast.

Interviews

Doves interview on Some Cities Jez and Andy Williams on recording Some Cities, Ben Hillier and Northern soul.
'The band are splitting up? Nobody told me!' Observer interview at Jodrell Bank on the history of the band.

Fan sites and communities

Doves FAQ Fan blog answers on song meanings, the Lost Souls demo and the live set.

Sources

Doves (band), Wikipedia
Sub Sub, Wikipedia
'The band are splitting up? Nobody told me!', The Observer (2010-04-04)
Doves interview, Pitchfork
The Genius of Lost Souls by Doves, Guitar.com (2020-05-20)
Doves FAQ, Doves Music Blog