Doves condemn modern music culture

By Greg Cochrane
Newsbeat music reporter

Lead singer Jimi Goodwin talks to Newsbeat about getting old, being beaten to number one by Lady Gaga and the industry's 'unreasonable expectations' for new bands.

Doves will play a number of UK festivals this summer including Glastonbury

Doves' Jimi Goodwin has condemned the speed at which the music industry promotes new music.

Speaking to Newsbeat he said: "The thirst for new music is overlooking a lot of things and there's not a lot of time for bands to nurture and develop. We didn't get good for years or reach a place where we wanted to be."

He added: "We were very lucky that we were allowed to do that."

Doves released their fourth album Kingdom Of Rust in April.

Speaking before performing at London's Brixton Academy recently, singer Jimi Goodwin said: "There are just unreasonable expectations on things you should do for your debut single or your debut album now."

"It's got to be a bit more grassroots - you've got to go back to feel and instinct and vibe.

Doves' Jimi Goodwin performing live in Radio 1's Live Lounge

In reference to the financial situation the music industry finds itself in he added: "Majors [labels] have got us into a bit of a funk and they're not going to get us out of it really. "It's down to musicians and artists to rebuild it the way you'd want it."

Beaten by Gaga

The Cheshire band's most recent album Kingdom Of Rust, during it's week of release [6 April], was beaten to number one by Lady Gaga by the smallest margin in chart history.

"I was like 'No, surely there was a cliff Richard verses Tommy Steele where there was like four in the hit parade' but apparently not - yeah, what can you do," Goodwin said.

"The funny thing about it is that the bigger story is that a lot of independent shops can't afford to pay for the gallop machine or whatever it's called these days - the machines which tally these things up."

The band though have been pleased with the commercial reception of their latest effort, their first in four years.

"Bowled over," replied Goodwin. "Because it was a funny one to make and…after knowing each other for so long it just took a while to find out what the hell it was we were doing and why were we still doing it?"

With 2009 providing a packed schedule of touring the UK, America and Europe the singer said the band - together now for over 10 years - will look to take things easier.

"We're all a little older, I don't know about wiser, but we have to look after ourselves. "We ain't 20 any more; we can just roll out of bed and shrug off a heavy one. It happens to us all."