PERHAPS ONE OF THE last truly great guitar bands to come out of Manchester, Doves, gained word-of-mouth attention among indie fans when supporting Oasis in summer 2000.
That same year, they released what many believe to be one of the best guitar albums of the era, Lost Souls.
Two number 1 albums followed with The Last Broadcast in 2002 and Some Cities in 2005, the band gained a solid live reputation while securing top 10 hits with There Goes The Fear and the stomping Black AnWhite Town.
But beyond doubt Doves were an album band producing melodic, emotional psychedelic soundscapes.
Their last album Kingdom of Rust was described by drummer Andy Williams as a kind of “travel” document.
Doves had an inclination for recording in remote and atmospheric locations including a former Benedictine monastery in Scotland and even a flyover under the M62 — letting the elements feed into the music.
These are the sensibilities that twins Jez and Andy Williams, two thirds of Doves, have carried forward with Black Rivers.
The brothers with Irish roots in Co. Mayo decamped to Anglesey in January last year around the time of the front-page weather floods and storms to record their forthcoming debut.
Andy Williams reflects on the time: “We had no pressure on us at that point, the weather became part of the fabric, it’s not that different from Ireland at that time of year, it was stormy and raining all the time. You could see the skies. That elemental atmosphere definitely informed the tracks. There was an atmosphere when we were writing and recording.”
Manchester has traditionally punched above its weight with iconic acts such as The Smiths and Oasis dominating the music scene across the globe from the north-west of England.
The last mass exodus of Irish immigrants that arrived in the early 1960s had led to a number of second-generation bands forming with a strong sense of identity, community and musical values associated with the city — its weather, its people and the political climate.
Williams explains his ancestral attachment to Ireland: “With Jez and I our roots go back to Westport. My mum’s sister also married a guy from Belfast so we have kept the link going with all our family and cousins over there, it’s very strong. The family travelled back and forward to Ireland a lot and we feel a very strong sense of connection.
Manchester has always had that strong Irish community, particularly in places like Levenshulme. It’s in our blood and especially with Jimi [from Doves], he grew up listening to a lot of Irish folk music, he’s always been very knowledgeable about it.”
The Williams brothers’ output was perhaps some of the final creative fruit to grow from Manchester’s Irish community in the pre-digital era.
“Around the house our mum always played Irish music,” he explains.
“There wasn’t a lot of ways to channel stuff but I feel blessed now that we went through that because there was music or football and that was it. We’re Manchester City fans and went to Maine Road but we weren’t regular as it was a bit out of reach for us. Our elder brother played guitar, he was into Neil Young and a lot of ’70s stuff, a lot of heavy metal as well — it’s all had a bit of an influence on us.
Growing up in the 1970s and ’80s was very different, now you have all these amazing things but back then your attention was focused on the music, we went to friend’s houses and pored over album sleeves, they were our formative years.”
Beyond family influences there were examples in the culture that motivated Andy and Jez to make music their priority.
The DIY ethos of Factory Records stirred the imagination of what was possible with music, galvanising them to create their own: “In terms of coming from Manchester at that time you had The Smiths, who we were both really into, you looked at what was going on with Factory Records and bands like New Order and The Durutti Column and we were very inspired because it was all done in Manchester, the bands and the label created this kind of enigma.
At that age you are more impressionable, there was also a kind of post-punk ethic around of ‘do it yourself’, it didn’t matter if you weren’t amazing on your instrument, if you had something to say you could communicate it.”
Akin with Doves front-man Jimi Goodwin on his recent solo effort Odludek, the band have returned to a more electronic sound.
Doves were never a straight-forward guitar band but undoubtedly technology has made a strong impact on the album.
“We wanted to make a contemporary record, there wasn’t a massive plan but technology has always interested us rather than just using analogue. After we left school we got into Acid House which was kicking off in Manchester, I don’t think we’ll ever lose that side because it left such an impression… We love music and don’t see the difference between a great rock band and dance music — why limit yourself?
I love the Stooges and I love Derrick May [the American electronic musician credited with inventing Techno], we try and pinch bits from here, there and everywhere, that’s the way we have always worked.”
The Hacienda, Manchester’s internationally renowned club that proved to be an international draw in the late ’80s and early ’90s also exhilarated the Williams brothers along with their school friend Goodwin.
They began to move in the same circles as the great and the good of Manchester’s dominant music scene that easily challenged London in terms of relevance.
Forming Sub Sub they would deliver one of the classic dance songs of the period while appearing on the iconic BBC television programme Top of the Pops with their British number 3 hit Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Good) in 1993.
“We only wrote that track to get on the guest-list at the Hacienda; I thought ‘we won’t have to queue in the rain all the time’.
We were always grateful to that record because before that we were on the dole, at the time it was like a strange, surreal dream. Getting played on Radio 1 went way beyond our expectations.”
A link with fellow Irish Mancunian Noel Gallagher has been valuable; supporting the same Manchester football team is no hindrance either.
Black Rivers will support the former Oasis linchpin when he tours in March: “There’s a shared history really and a lot of similarities; he grew up in Manchester at the same time as us, we went to the same places. Doves supported Oasis a few times, we always picked up a few fans through that. He’s a good guy and we appreciate any support that he gives us.”
Andy is particularly anticipating the Glasgow date. The city has been a stronghold for Doves and indeed Gallagher, since the fledgling days of Oasis.
“When you play somewhere else the next night you notice just how good it is. The Barrowlands venue was always ace with Doves, I remember playing once and it was derby day with Celtic verses Rangers. We visited Celtic Park one time, our tour manager was a big Celtic fan, and it’s amazing how they inspire people. Growing up in Manchester the row between United and City was passionate but up there it’s insane, it tips over into being a bit heavy. I remember having a look at the ground, it was pretty amazing. Jimi’s certainly been to a few Celtic games over the years.”
A break from Doves, who are on an indefinite hiatus, has been creatively rewarding with the pressure off to follow up previous success.
Doves formed from the ashes of Sub Sub after the band’s studio was destroyed during a fire in 1996, significantly on the twins’ birthday.
It’s not the first time the Williams brothers have come back from the brink but surely it must have been difficult to return without their front-man, someone they continue to regard as a “third brother”?
“There wasn’t really a concern because you have to remember with Doves we all started off as musicians, nobody wanted to be the singer, Jimi was like ‘I can sing a bit’. Obviously he was the main singer in Doves but you can’t think too much about it. Sometimes when you bring in a Morrissey or Jarvis style front man it can kill off what you’ve got musically. What we’ve attempted, with an unspoken criteria, was to make a record you could really lose yourself in, that was always our goal.
We’ve tried to create an atmosphere and a vibe, we like to leave the lyrics open enough, it’s never a direct thing, it’s never conscious.”
And so far, it’s working. “It’s a blessing… when you think about what people put up with in their work-life you realise how lucky we are to be doing this, it spurs you on to work hard.”
Black Rivers’ debut album will be released on February 9. Details and tour dates are here.
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