Doves, a Manchester, England-based trio, just released their acclaimed debut, Lost Souls, on Astralwerks in America. The group is the reincarnation of the early '90s dance act, Sub Sub. Doves do the U2 thing in reverse-they're a dance act that went rock.Trying to find the meaning behind the madness, Recess Music Editor Robert Kelley chatted with Doves' drummer Andy Williams from his flat in Manchester.
Coming from a dance-turned-rock act, do you think your approach to drumming is different from other rock drummers?
Well, in Sub Sub I was playing drums as well. We also swap instruments. We've never had really set roles like that, but I really enjoy it, you know? In a dance song, you have different rhythms, four on the floor, but it's not all that much difference.
When dance music is all the rage, why are you going rock? Is it true that Sub Sub's studio burned down, almost forcing you into playing guitars?
Well, we really didn't wake up one day and say, "We're gonna be a rock band." The studio fire was definitely a reason we went from Sub Sub to Doves. We've been through quite a lot of troubles really. I don't think we're the average rock band.
What was it like to be in the middle of the early '90s "Madchester" scene of the Stone Roses, the Happy Mondays and the Hacienda club?
It was a great place to be, but it got quite ugly in the early '90s-gangs in the clubs and that sort of thing. We stopped going out clubbing because we saw some pretty awful things going on.
Tell me about your song, "The Cedar Room." It's definitely the standout on the record.
It's part of what we do, definitely. It's actually about-it's quite weird-I wrote the verse lyrics and Jimi [Goodwin, bassist/vocalist] wrote the chorus lyrics. The cedar room was actually a room in a haunted house from when we were kids. The name just got stuck in my head. It's a very love kind of vibe.
Doves did some work on Badly Drawn Boy's new CD. Who else influences you?
Smog, Super Furry Animals-I really like them. Damon (Gough, aka Badly Drawn Boy) is like an old friend. He lives right around the corner from us. Working together was kind of a laugh.
When are we Yankees gonna get a chance to see you? Do you think we'll like you?
January or February. We know we've got a lot of work to do over there. You can't really predict [if people will like you]. People we've spoken to have been really positive about the record. We don't think we're going to conquer America, but we want to build something.
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