Gig : Doves / Wild Light

Doves / Wild Light

Kool Haus. Monday, June 1, 2009.

A strange sense of... nostalgia brushed by me as J. and I made our way down to the Kool Haus, where I haven't been in over a year-and-a-half.¹ I wasn't feeling wistful out of any love for the boxy environs in their own right, but I guess I have seen some pretty decent shows there. And, it occurred to me, that going out of the way for a show at a bigger venue used to make gig-going into a Big Event, and not just something that I do all the time. Getting in, it looked like pretty much nothing had changed — there was a less surly cadre of security types working the door than I remembered, but inside it was kinda like time had stood still. I was feeling a sense of relaxation arising from the fact that this one was J.'s pick — I have nothing against Doves, but wouldn't've gone out of my way to see 'em on my own initiative — so I felt like I had no expectations, and could just soak it all in. We found ourselves a spot by the mixing desk and settled in as the crowd streamed in and the openers took the stage.

Tour support was New Hampshire's Wild Light, who I don't have a lot of glowing things to say about. Sort of like listening to warm milk², the band seemed to have put as much time into their carefully-styled hair as their popcraft. Their bland tunes suited the stage decor — they were forced to play in front of Doves' giant projection screen, leaving them in limbo in front of a giant white backdrop. Someone had the idea to break it up a bit by throwing up a banner with the band's name, but the graphic design was as uninspired as their music:

None of which livelied up the blood much for Doves, but once the giant screen flicked to life and the swell of the music started, the crowd was pretty excited. I'd always thought of Doves as a sort of slightly edgier contemporary of Coldplay, so while I could certainly enjoy the band's talents, I wasn't hugely more moved by the show than I'd been from their recordings. But, one takes what one can: I liked Jimi Goodwin's unshowy guitar parts, enjoyed the spectacle of their grainy projections and wished for a whole lot more banter in Jez Williams' proper Manc accent. Although the band's music has a certain grandeur, it has an admirably down-to-earth underpinning.

For those into the proceedings, it was certainly money's worth, with the show running ninety minutes. I though it hit its stride best with the Motown-inspired "Black and White Town" followed by "The Outsiders", though the main set closing "Caught By The River" might have been the crowd's top choice. After a four-song encore, the crowd — the predictable T.O. mix of aging britrockheads ans ex-pats — seemed pretty satisfied. This won't stand out as a landmark night for me as it clearly will for some who hold these songs near and dear to them, but it was a satisfactory night. But I could probably wait another year and a half to go back to Kool Haus without feeling any sorrow.

---

¹ Spoon, October 15, 2007, to be exact.

² J. would later refer to them as "Wild Shite", but I think that's a bit harsh — more like "Mild Light".