Indie favourites Doves fly in for Hatfield gig at the Forum

INDIE-ROCK band Doves will fly into Hatfield next month for a special gig.

The highly-acclaimed Mancunian three-piece will officially open the University of Hertfordshire's new Forum complex as a live concert venue on October 9.

"The Forum is ecstatic to welcome Doves to launch our series of live gigs," said Rebecca Hobbs, the marketing and PR manager for the University of Hertfordshire Students' Union.

Twice nominated for the coveted Mercury Music Prize, Doves released their eagerly-anticipated fourth studio album, Kingdom of Rust, in April of this year.

And they narrowly failed to claim their third number one smash, with Lady Gaga narrowly keeping them off the top of the album charts after selling just four more copies of The Fame.

Jimi Goodwin and twins Jez and Andy Williams formed Doves in the late 1990s after previously being in seminal Manchester dance act Sub Sub.

Doves' debut album, Lost Souls, was released in 2000 and was nominated for the Mercury award.

Their second long player, The Last Broadcast, came out two years later.

Featuring top three single There Goes the Fear, the record reached number one in the UK album charts, and, like Lost Souls, was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.

They followed that in 2005 with Some Cities, which was preceded by Motown inspired top 10 single Black and White Town.

After playing the Latitude Festival in Southwold, Suffolk, in July, Doves are touring intimate venues across the UK - their first such tour in over four years - and they will land at the Forum on Friday, October 9.

Tickets cost �20 and are available now from seetickets at www.seetickets.com

Other bands lined up to play the Forum over the coming months include Leeds-based grindie dance band Hadouken! on Tuesday, September 29 and Welsh emo-hardcore rockers Funeral for a Friend on Thursday, October 15.

* See this week's Welwyn & Hatfield Times for more news on the Forum - out tomorrow (Wednesday).