Alt-rock band Doves have become the latest act to reschedule touring dates as a result of coronavirus implications, postponing their tour of the UK and Ireland until 2022. The Manchester group were due to play a number of shows in support of their number one album ‘The Universal Want’ this year – including dates at O2 Academy Brixton, Glasgow’s Barrowland and the Brighton Dome – but all planned 2021 dates have now been pushed forward to 2022. Taking to social media, the band announced: “Hi everyone, Jez, Andy & Jimi here with long-awaited news about next month’s dates that many of you have been asking about recently. For obvious reasons we’re unable to make the proposed tour happen, which we’re really gutted about as it was to be our first proper album tour for almost 12 years.
UK & Ireland tour rescheduled to 2022.
Full details at https://t.co/QSy8M5XMS9 pic.twitter.com/lt6VmguJqv
— Doves (@dovesmusicblog) February 8, 2021
“We’ve held off making any announcements until we could give you the full details of the new dates which are now scheduled for early next year. With so many bands moving their tours to 2022, booking these dates has been tricky and there are a couple of venue changes due to their availability. Thanks for sticking with us, look after each other and we’ll see you next year.”
Newly added events on the 2022 roster include an extra night at Barrowlands, dates at the Belfast Limelight and Dublin Olympia, as well as an additional London event at the O2 Forum Kentish Town.
Their fifth studio album, Doves released ‘The Universal Want’ in September 2020, following a ten year hiatus. The album included singles ‘Carousels’, ‘Prisoners’ and ‘Cathedrals of the Mind’, and was met with critical acclaim; Paul Moody of Uncut praised the band for their lyrical depth on the album, taking “strength from sadness, hope from despair, and wisdom from experience.” The album debuted at number one on the Scottish and UK album chart, becoming the band’s third album to reach the domestic top spot. Speaking on the unusually long hiatus before the new album, dummer Andy Williams said: “We never really split up, so to speak. It was 2010 the last time we toured; it just sort of felt like we solidly hammered it for about 25 years, if you consider the previous band Sub Sub. It just felt like it was time to recharge the batteries and spend some time apart, but I think we always felt like we’d make music together again.”
Find the full amended tour schedule below:
11/02/2022 – Great Hall – Cardiff
12/02 – Eventim Olympia – Liverpool
14/02 – Limelight – Belfast
15/02 – Olympia – Dublin
17/02 – O2 Academy – Sheffield
18/02 – Barrowland – Glasgow
19/02 – Barrowland – Glasgow
21/02 – UAE – Norwich
22/02 – O2 Academy – Bournemouth
23/02 – Dome – Brighton
25/02 – O2 Academy Brixton – London
26/02 – O2 Forum Kentish Town – London
28/02 – O2 Academy – Bristol
01/03 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
03/03 – O2 Apollo – Manchester
04/03 – Rock City – Nottingham
05/03 – O2 City Hall – Newcastle
