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Embrace / Doves / JJ72 - London, Shepherds Bush Empire Sunday 7th May 2000 JJ72 sneak on stage as if they shouldn't be there - WRONG! This band belongs at the top. With Mark Greaney's songs and vocals I do so hope they get there too! When he yells, he sounds like an aggressive Brian Molko; when he sings quietly, it makes you yearn for that girlfriend you should never have let go; when he sings sweetly, its reminiscent of a youthful Puressence. Second song in, they perform 'Snow', which is probably my fave single this year, and yet it wasn't the best song they did. The new single 'Long Way South' swiftly followed, and will be in my collection as soon as its released! The divine Hillary Woods on bass, and Fergal Matthews leave the stage for 'Undercover Angel', leaving Mark to his own devices. And what devices!! This song made every hair on my body, let alone the back of my neck, stand on end. Glorious! I can't remember the last time I saw a band command near complete silence in the quiet bits of their set (especially a support band), as did JJ72 this night. Ending the set with the sublime 'October Swimmer' and fantastic rendition of 'Algeria/Bumble Bee', this was a delight from start to finish and something to really stir the soul. GO SEE!!! Next were Doves, a band I have a lot of time for. They only played 5 songs - but what songs. The first time I saw them I just didn't get it, and was pretty non-plussed. This time though, I had a better idea of what to expect. Starting with 'Catch the Sun' (the next single I believe), they basically blissed me out! As well as the track 'Lost Souls', they played a new one called 'Water [something]', which was also pretty ace. But of course the supreme moment was 'Cedar Room', tonight's closer. Its one of those songs that seems to grow in stature every time I hear it - especially live, where all the power and grace of the song hit you where you really feel it, certainly much more so than on CD (though that is powerful enough). If you've not seen them live, you must rectify that situation. They play sweeping guitar music for those who care. A must see. Embrace played most if not all of their crowd pleasers from both of their albums; 'You're Not Alone', 'My Weakness', 'Come Back To What You Know', 'Good Good People' from the first album, nimbly mixed in with the newer stuff, such as 'Hooligan', 'Save Me' and 'Yeah You'. The closing track had the crowd trying to reprise the fantastic atmosphere that was generated at the Astoria last January, when Danny had to stop for over 2 minutes as the crowd cheered during the pause in 'The Good Will Out'. Unfortunately they failed, as many tried to jump in at the wrong point. The encore was a strange mixture, a bouncy b-side, followed by 'Magic Numbers', then Danny's fave 'Retread', the audience's fave 'Fireworks', and a real quiet one, 'I Had a Time', to close the set. Good stuff, but not as glorious as that Astoria gig. DaveM

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