BAND – Dovecage – Star And Garter, Manchester

REVIEW

Dovecage are totally new to me but my policy of arriving for every support act no matter how early the start time has once again paid rich dividends. Dovecage were visiting Manchester as one of the support bands for long time favourites Lansdowne. They operate out of Charlotte in North Carolina and have been plying their trade since 2020, playing a unique brand of Alternative Rock/Metal to an ever increasing audience. From the opening bars of ‘Bang My Life’ it’s immediately clear that this is a highly polished band with a complement of extremely talented musicians and a singer who just exudes charisma and star quality. ‘Ex Ex Ex’ is up next and it’s a pitch perfect Pop/Rock song and it’s obvious that the crowd in the Star and Garter are already fully on board with this band.

It’s worth noting that in the live arena this band are a lot heavier and aggressive than their current studio releases would suggest, but to be honest these songs sound fantastic however you listen to them. ‘Lullaby’ is an intense and immediate tune with an absolute killer middle section, with Pavel the guitarist almost duelling with bass player Tim as the song progresses. ‘Quit’ is a new song and if this is the direction this band will be taking in the future I’m all for it as it’s another banger with Kiara taking centre stage with an all action intense vocal performance. ‘Sick’ slows the pace slightly and shows the vocal range of the singer as well as the overall tightness of the band. It’s a great song that followers of this type of music will be impressed with regardless of which way they lean on the Metal spectrum. ‘You’re Mine’ has an almost poppy opening before a heavy drum and bass combo kicks in and the crowd are bouncing around to this one before you know it.

‘Divided Minds’ was my favourite song of the set, with a soaring vocal and an immediate and intense hook that grabs you from the opening seconds of the song. It’s great stuff and the kind of record that wouldn’t sound out of place in an arena. The set closes all too soon with ‘Bittersweet Goodbye’, which is another Pop/Punk banger and the band leave the stage to a rapturous response from the audience in Manchester. In conclusion, I loved everything about this band. Huge and immediate songs, charismatic and confident musicians and a technical ability that is off the scale. I’m looking forward to their debut album and hopefully they will hit these shores again in the not too distant future. I’d have paid tonight’s cover charge just to see this band they were that good, highly recommended from me to say the least.

Band

Kiara – Vocals

Pavel – Guitar

Tim – Bass

Zach – Drums

SETLIST

1. Bang My Life

2. Ex Ex Ex

3. Lullaby

4. Quit

5. Sick

6. You’re Mine

7. Divided Minds

8. Bittersweet Goodbye