Doves - V 2005 Chelmsford
Doves are one of those bands that would have been at home second from the top of the main V Stage, as it was they found themselves in that position on the Channel 4, which is the second stage. As it turned out they were perfectly placed as they fell in between the manic Kaiser Chiefs complete with excitable crowd, and dance legends Chemical brothers. They provided a more relaxed set that acted as something of a breather before the Chemicals or Oasis, depending on your taste.
Don’t get me wrong though as Doves can rock with the best of them and they hit the ground running with ‘Pounding’ and ‘Black and White Town’ in the first three tracks. From here on in the more melodic Doves took over and had the weather been warmer this would have been a fantastic soundtrack for a warm sunny evening. Stand out tracks from there set included ‘Almost Forgot Myself’ and ‘Snowden’ from their most recent album ‘Some Cities’, and the ever popular classics ‘There Goes the Fear’ and ‘Seeder Room’.
Despite being big enough, and having the quantity of hit songs to justify the high placing on the running order, for me Doves are a band that suit the smaller, more intimate surroundings. This is not a critisism of there ability to play the bigger stage as they are masters of that too, but their ambient and slightly chilled brand of rock has always come across better when I’ve seen them in smaller venues than on outdoor stages or support slots in arenas. That said they are a must for any festival line up.