When people think of great Manchester bands, alt-rockers Doves can often be overlooked. But across their six albums and multiple decades together, the band have rarely put a foot wrong. With their latest opus Constellations of the Lonely just released – their first in five years - and a show at Rock City on the horizon, we sat down for a catch up with drummer Andy Williams.
Achieving real happiness is, like anything truly worth having in life, often gained by taking risks. Standing backstage at the other end of the A50 in Stoke’s intimate Sugarmill venue last November, Doves’ genial drummer Andy Williams knew he was on the precipice of perhaps taking on one of the biggest ventures of his 55 years.
With frontman and childhood friend, Jimi Goodwin, unable to commit to touring with the band due to health reasons, Williams and twin brother guitarist Jez, had to decide whether to take the plunge and pick up the indie-rock veterans’ mantle and rejuvenate the band’s live legacy. So, with a sixth studio album in the can, it was crunch time.
“Towards finishing the album we realised really that Jimi wouldn’t be able to tour. We had to re-think everything, so we took the decision, me and Jez, and I’m so glad we did that because it enabled us to play live,” Andy attests, with understandable pride.
“We tried it out because we wanted to know if it was going to work – we got together with a couple of friends in the backroom of my house and started jamming. It became quite apparent that we could not only do it, but also do it real justice.”
“It’s always been the case that me and Jez have sung on the albums and live, so it feels like a real continuation of that,” Williams adds.
Transported then to said dressing room with a sold-out crowd waiting in the Midlands, how was it?
“It was a bit nerve racking, I won’t lie. We’d been blessed with a lot of positive reaction to the new lineup, but there was some negative stuff too which you try to avoid like, ‘they can’t do this, how dare they?’ but that was minimal - most people were very encouraging.”
There is a saying ‘St Teresa’ and Jimi was telling us about a story that parts of her body are all over Europe, so we thought it’d be interesting to write about it and it would probably make our parents chuckle
Bolstered by three new live musicians, Nathan Sudders (bass), Jake Evans (guitar and backing vocals) and Christian Madden (keyboards), Williams is delighted by the new set up.
“They’re great musicians – Jake we’ve known for about ten years, Nathan we’d had loads of people recommending him and the same with Christian. They’re all from the Manchester area – we’ve all really lucked out. They’ve really fitted in.”
The quintet are now set to hit the road again for a full UK tour, featuring a Rock City show on 10 March, and it’s been a while since Doves have visited Notts, as the drummer hazily recalls.
“My memory’s shocking, but I think we played there with Radio 1 and The Coral, which would’ve been about 25 years ago.”
LeftLion can confirm this to be the case, as this writer has vague memories of spotting Radio 1’s Evening Session DJ Jo Whiley bowling out of the old O’Neill’s bar at the top of Market Street on route to the gig in question, which was part of One Week Live in October 2002.
“It was very early doors for us and very early doors for them – I’m just trying to think if we’ve played since but I don’t recall it.”
A trawl of an online fan gigography unearths later dates at our legendary venue in 2005 and 2009 but, with a sixteen-year hiatus, a long overdue return will actually mark 25 years since they first landed here to play The Social (now Bodega).
The community that live music provides was criminally overlooked both financially and for mental health reasons by the previous government during COVID and it’s no coincidence that Doves’ new long player is called Constellations For The Lonely. The title’s genesis came from Williams himself.
“I’m afraid I’m responsible for that! I thought of that when I had COVID. I was in bed with it and we were half way through writing it and I was just thinking how to a certain extent, in modern life, a lot of people are quite lonely really - we live very digital lives which are quite remote from hanging out.”
“I did want to bring that word into it and I just liked the idea of constellations and, to me, it’s like a map to navigate this (feeling) – that was my thinking of it.”
One of the track titles which stands out is single, St Teresa. LeftLion puts to Williams whether that’s a doughty friend, or relative that’s often stepped up to the plate for them? But, no.
“Well, we’re all Catholics! I think it was Jimi who came up with that title – none of us are religious by the way, we’re all very lapsed – but all our parents are Catholic.”
“I wrote the verse lyrics for that and Jimi wrote the chorus and they kind of fit together. There is a saying ‘St Teresa’, and Jimi was telling us about a story that parts of her body are all over Europe, so we thought it’d be interesting to write about it and it would probably make our parents chuckle.”
It’s not just Jez and Andy from the Williams’ clan who are receiving acclaim in 2025 either – the brothers’ modernist architect father Desmond is gathering plaudits too, as the drummer confirms when LeftLion raises the subject of performing in one of the 1960s’ churches he designed.
“I’d love to play in one of his places – maybe that’s something we need to look into. There’s one in Manchester which is listed called St Augustine’s and there’s one in Dunstable which I need to visit. Two or three of them are listed now – so I’m really pleased that in the latter stages of his life, people are really discovering that period of architecture.”
Bringing things back full circle to Goodwin’s health, LeftLion asks how he’s doing.
“He’s alright at the moment. He’s in recovery still; it’s a long process. He’s working on getting himself right. For him to go on tour would just be too much at the moment – he’s not out of the woods yet, but he’s a lot better.”
Forty years after the trio hooked up at a high school in Wilmslow and bonded over a love of The Smiths, Cocteau Twins, The Fall and Talk Talk, Doves’ flight path may be in a new direction, but the journey is still proving to be a worthwhile and intriguing one.
Doves play Rock City on Monday 10 March 2025. Constellations From The Lonely is out now.
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