At the end of September, Dolores Forever released one of the very best albums of the year so far, their debut 'It's Nothing'.
I'll shamelessly quote myself here: "The record is richly modern and at the same time soaked in a 1980s vibe. It’s Ataris and Roland synths, plugged into a modern, forward-looking digital interface. Transistor punk, perhaps? Lyrically, the songs in this collection are very clear, with plenty of brilliant one-liners and metaphors forming a close-to tangible imagery" (read more over on CLASH).
The translation of those generally synth-heavy tracks was carried out superbly: a touch of backing track, some all-out drumming and guitar playing, vocal harmonies which went beyond the recorded versions, and real connection with the audience.
I've been genuinely excited about this band and the album really cemented my belief in them. But I'd not heard them live (although I'd seen and heard plenty of good reports) until last week when I caught their album launch / in-store at Rough Trade East. I expected a stripped back show, but this was a full band performance, albeit a short one. They played all but two of the new album's songs (I really missed 'Grace', one of my favourites) – and boy, did they play them.
There was also some very smart re-ordering of the tracks to create an appropriate live experience. For example, they opened with 'Why Are You Not Scared Yet' (the final song on the album), jumping in with full energy and creating early space for us, the audience, to sing along.
Of course, 'Someday Best' was always going to provide the main audience-participation moment ("Shut up and eat the pasta!"), and they maxed that one out, but most of the others songs weren't far behind and 'Go Fast, Go Slow' proving pretty irresistible.
It was a pretty emotional performance, too, peaking at 'Split Lip'. "This is a love song to each other, to friendship," Julia explained, before she and Hannah turned face-to-face to sing. Here, Julia's harmonies felt so natural – almost ad-libbed – adding more depth to what's already a fabulous song. The addition of a shredding guitar solo to close out this live version of the track was inspired.
'Rotten Peaches' again took on extra layers and 'Thank You For Breathing' felt triumphant and a little bit ... breathless ("The irony is we didn't leave any space for breathing," laughed Hannah as they finished that one. On 'Into The Concrete', too, the pair couldn't hide their obvious affection for each other, that friendship which brings the final elevating ingredient to the band.
Dolores Forever rounded out the mini-set with 'Not Now Kids' – a superb version of the song with Hannah adding extra percussion on a floor tom. It felt non-stop, driving and at the same time harmonic.
I came away hugely impressed and really keen to hear a full set from the band. They're playing at Village Underground on 5 November (a "bucket list venue" they confessed) with tickets still available here, last time I checked.
Date of gig: 1 October 2024
Full setlist:
Why Are You Not Scared Yet
Someday Best
Go Fast, Go Slow
Split Lip
Rotten Peaches
Thank You For Breathing
Into The Concrete
Not Now Kids