Doves are back.
The much-loved indie titans went on permanent hiatus back in 2010, but it seems that bridges have been mended, with two high profile live shows being announced.
Doves will support Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds at Heaton Park in Manchester next year, while also playing a Teenage Cancer Trust show at London's Royal Albert Hall show on March 29th.
Speaking to Gordon Smart on Radio X last night (December 4th), singer Jez Williams was asked about the prospect of writing new material.
"At the moment we’re just in a room playing the old tunes," he said. "We’re hoping the waters are right, the planets are aligned and we get that right vibe and you never say never, but at the moment we’re just concentrating on playing the tunes."
Set to leap back into the fray at London's historic Royal Albert Hall, Doves might just sneak in a few warm up shows.
Jez commented: "I'm really wanting to hustle for a couple of warm ups before we go into the Royal Albert Hall because, yeah, it’s going to be interesting. Going straight cold into that, you know what I mean, I’m going to need to take a few pairs of underpants with me!"
The news followed an online petition from fans to get the band back together, something Doves themselves had no involvement with. When the show was announced on social media, though, the response was rapturous, with Jez explaining:
"It’s so flattering hearing that people out there still care. It gave us a nice feeling, that people actually give a crap. It was quite heart-warming. You could probably argue that it was a cumulation of this and that and everything falling into the right place at this time. The time feels right. I don’t know why, but it just feels right at the moment."
Doves will play London's Royal Albert Hall on March 29th.
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