Photo Credit: James Mirfield
Manchester indie-rock icons DOVES made the short journey across to Halifax in the midst of their festival headline performance and complete the ‘Constellations for the Lonely‘ album cycle with a show at the legendary Piece Hall. With only a few shows remaining at the venue for 2025, this was one of the most exciting yet.
Making the short trip from the opposite direction were APOLLO JUNCTION who opened the show. The Leeds outfit have been heavily marketing their new record ‘What In the World’, and they made sure their voices were heard at this show too. Warming the crowd up from the get go, the band opened their set with ‘Light Up the Sky‘, the set list featured previous material from their last three records, which left the wandering mind what the new record sounded like. This was the perfect opportunity for those who were gripped to go and buy the album. Vocalist Jamie Williamson stepped down from the stage and navigated through the crowd, singing in the faces of those in attendance, with the band ending their opening slot with ‘Forever‘.
Just a matter of days after completing their UK/Ireland run with Oasis, Liverpool Britpop legends CAST made their grand entrance to a thunderous cheer from the packed crowd. The show served as the perfect warm-up ahead of them re-joining the Gallagher brothers in the States in just a weeks time, and a longer setlist to play with compared to their opening slots recently. Beginning their set with ‘Free Me‘, quickly followed by fan favourite ‘Sandstorm’, John Power shows no signs of slowing down as he jumps around the stage. Still riding the wave from their previous record ‘Love is the Call‘, the title track and ‘Tomorrow Call My Name‘ featured midway through the performance, before concluding with ‘Guiding Star‘ and their biggest hit ‘Alright‘. CAST will be embarking on their ‘All Change‘ 30th anniversary tour later this year, a must see tour for anyone who has managed to catch them this year.
Performing their biggest headline show of the year, DOVES graced The Piece Hall crowd with open arms from the very start. Cheers broke out from across the crowd the moment the band stepped on stage and with the nights continuing to get darker much earlier, this only enhanced the stage lights further. Opening with ‘Snowden’ to the crowds delight, followed by ‘Words‘, it was clear that tracks from their latest record were not the main focus here, but more of a greatest hits performance. The unexpected addition of ‘Catch the Sun‘ was a pleasant surprise given it was its first run out in fifteen years and the positive reception continued as the legendary drum intro of ‘Pounding‘ had everyone tapping their feet and clapping until the vocals kicked in, with the Halifax crowd matching Jez Williams.
Delighting fans of their debut release with ‘Lost Souls‘ tracks ‘Rise‘ and ‘Here It Comes‘, it gave those who have been with the band from the start something to shout about, to then giving nods to each record throughout the remainder of the set. ‘Last Broadcast‘ and ‘Caught by the River‘ enhanced the energy pouring out across the courtyard before ending their triumphant performance with ‘Black and White Town‘. The latter had the whole venue singing at the top of their lungs, undoubtedly the highlight of the evening and left fans clamouring for more.
Their wishes were fulfilled, as the band returned for one final song. Dating back to 1991 when the trio were under the name Sub Sub, their debut track ‘Space Face‘ concluded the evening in typical Hacienda fashion. The electronic sound was a real throwback for many in the audience, but also a contemporary addition to their well equipped set list.
DOVES are set to release their best of album later this year alongside a run of shows to conclude a successful 2025. This performance felt like the ideal warm up and what fans can expect from the set list in December.
Taped Magazine 