Doves w/ Wild Light at The Varsity 5/28/09

Doves played the Varsity on Thursday. The boys from Manchester played a great set, in front of a ‘video-projected’ backdrop for a sold-out crowd in Dinkytown. I had never seen them live, and to my surprise the lead singer Jimi Goodwin plays bass…upside down. He plays a right-handed guitar, flipped over, left handed. Not only did he play oddly, but ripped through the set-list with some of the nastiest bass lines I’ve witnessed. They moved through the set quickly (at least it seemed like it), and performed a fantastic four song encore. Overall, I was extremely pleased to see them live and even more happy I saw them instead of Santigold (I had my doubts prior).

Wild Light was the opening act and played a solid set, not a lot of diversity, but solid still. Another interesting little tid-bit is that all members (minus the drummer Seth Kasper) play each instrument, always a fun aspect of a show. Anyway, the resume for these guys is outstanding! They have opened for: LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, The Killers (tour just ended), Doves, and in the next couple months they will play with the Wallflowers. Hopefully the guys can move out from beneath these giant shadows and host their own tour in the next year or so.