What differentiated Doves was its broodiness, while its booming drums and vaguely psychedelic tinge (aided by the cryptic, impressionistic films projected onto the screen behind) recalled the atmospherics of New Zealand's Straitjacket Fits. Bassist Jimi Goodwin's voice split the difference between Coldplay's Chris Martin and Fits singer Shayne Carter, adding a layer of Liam Gallagher-esque drawling and coating it with reverb so dense that his words didn't end so much as die out in the air.
Jez Williams's guitar was given the same treatment, filling the room with echoey single notes as longtime touring keyboardist Martin Rebelski filled in the gaps. Despite an airy sound, the band was tight and powerful enough to make up for some of the less engaging material such as ''Caught by the River," which featured guitar, drums, and lights coordinated in a furious bash out. When Doves focused on stronger songs such as the upbeat and triumphant ''Some Cities" and ''Here It Comes" (which saw Goodwin taking over drums so that Williams could sing and play harmonica), it gave an indication of how the band might eventually forge its own path.
Opener Longwave played a 45-minute set that sounded like a shaggier version of Killers playing variations on Cheap Trick's ''Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace." Despite help from a few vocal fans, the crowd's applause was more polite than enthusiastic, and the band's use of noise and feedback to accompany its songs ultimately signified nothing.
