Holy amazing gig, Batman!

Manic Street Preachers and Doves at the Heavenly Records birthday celebration.

As the Manic Street Preachers throttle to the end of Starlover for only the second time in 19 years, bassist Nicky Wire issues a grinning disclaimer. "You can tell that me and Richey were 19 when we wrote those lyrics. You have to make a fool of yourself when you're young." Starlover was one of six tracks the band recorded for Heavenly in 1990. Two others, Motown Junk and You Love Us, were immeasurably better: musical paintbombs consisting of Clash riffs, Guns N' Roses solos, Public Enemy samples and absurdly pugnacious rhetoric, as electrifying now as they were then.

...

Even when the lyrics are streaked with melancholy, the Motown-flavoured Black and White Town and rave-minded new song Jetstream have the exultant velocity of piano-house anthems, and There Goes the Fear sweeps the hall to its feet, all the way up to the balcony, in a spirit of celebration and camaraderie that seems distinctly Heavenly.

'Pounding'- Doves

Live at Glasto '05. Manchester >The World, indeed.

Mr. Joyce and Mr. Rourke are right

'Pounding' IS a great song....

Pounding, Doves, from the album The Last Broadcast

Mike Joyce: Pounding is used a couple of times in the DVD [Inside the Smiths] because, like all great Manchester records, it never feels overplayed. It's such a feel-good song, and I love the bass. This song was like the soundtrack to my and Andy's DJing tour of America and reminded us of home

Doves - Caught by the river

Fantastic song.

Doves - Pounding

Live on Jools. I could not love this song more. Doves are a regular on my playlist at the flowershop on Saturday mornings, along with The Smiths, The Mondays, New Order, Oasis and The Roses. Manchester bands feel like Saturday to me. Especially rainy Saturdays. And I mean that in the Goldfrapp sort of way. "You're my Saturday."

I hope that doesn't sound too insane. Oh well.