Doves, Neon @ Arena, 21/07/05

Fri 22nd Jul, 2005 in Gig Reviews

The atmosphere at the Arena is almost as if a crowd has gathered for a spiritual ceremony rather than to see two bands perform. And as the night progressed, I began to see what was so special about catching Doves live. On the other end of the spectrum from a balls-out rock show, Doves proved to be more than a memorable experience in emotive soft rock.

There was only room for one other band on the bill and it’s likely Neon weren’t complaining. They began their set of hooky pop rock with the aura of veteran performers, and managed to not put a foot wrong. Neon has to be one of the most regularly-spotted support bands in Brisbane, and having played with The Mess Hall, The Vines, Dan Brodie, Rocket Science, Dallas Crane and Jet, they’re building quite a reputable following.

Tonight they give the crowd a taste of some impressive numbers from their self-titled debut. Immediately a collective recognition of Triple J favourite Lapse in Conversation swept through the crowd, while the popular faux hard rock riff of Dizziness amped up the energy of the room. Other notable could-be hits A Man and Friend also made it onto the set list, and towards the end of the set, Hit Me Again was another welcome addition.

While the 8.30pm slot put the band through the motions of playing to a large semi-circle of flooring, they handled the initial lack of response with enviable confidence. As the Arena filled to near-capacity, it was clear that this band had commanded the crowd’s attention. There was barely a punter without his or her eyes on the band, while some young men were particularly fascinated by the petite blonde bass player, vying for position next to the concrete pole she was half-hidden behind.

A noticeably older crowd had congregated tonight – more of an office worker than an arts students vibe – but there was certainly no lack of enthusiasm. To the point where every time a roadie walked onstage to tweak a mic stand or tune a guitar, the crowd went wild. After five or six false-alarms, Doves thankfully took the stage. They began with an explosive opening of Where We’re Calling From, from the adored 2002 album The Last Broadcast. Generally there was a nice mix of tracks from each album, with the set list catering for the grass-roots fans as well as the more recent fans – like myself – of the Some Cities longplayer.

Epileptic fit-inducing strobe lighting and swirls of aquamarine shades coloured the set, adding to the mesmerising effect of the Doves tracks. There were several highlights from The Last Broadcast, but a Pounding was a definite crowd favourite. It certainly lived up to its title – the sound was thundering, crystal clear and Jimi Goodwin’s vocals were ethereally powerful.

Sky Starts Falling thundered in soon afterwards, the band effortlessly showing their dexterity by going far further than just doing justice to the track. By mid-set I managed to drag my eyes away from fleeting glimpses of the stage to survey my surroundings, and the scene looked a bit like a rave – lots of smiles, lots of arms flailing, lots of canoodling and a hell of a lot of head-bopping. Only the most mind-altering substance being distributed was alcohol, so this was quite a testimony to the power of the music.

Tracks taken from the gorgeous 2000 album Lost Souls included Sea Song and Catch the Sun. The crowd response for these gems was fantastic, and I’m still wondering how I let that album slip through the radar back when it was released. Adding a nice contrast to the confrontation of the emotive numbers were some more upbeat tracks from Some Cities. Black and White Town settled a layer of gloomy rock over the room, and the infectious rhythm and keyboard combination was several degrees better in a live context. Almost Forgot Myself and the delicate contrast of sound of Snowden completed the favourites list for me.

The encore included a stage shuffle and a harmonica intro for an achingly beautiful version of Here it Comes. To finish up, the encore fractured into a whirlwind-speed free-for-all of percussion, and for a moment the tribal rhythms transported you to a street parade in Rio. After a humbling thank you to the crowd – “Thanks for six, seven years of support [...] You’re by far the best crowd in Australia so far!” – Doves had disappeared, leaving the crowd somewhat dazed but utterly satisfied.