Twins Andy and Jez Williams, and Jimi Goodwin were childhood
friends in Altrincham. They decided to form a band in their
teenage years after a night in the Haçienda. The result
was Sub Sub.
With
a sound heavily formed by of samplers and sequencers, Sub
Sub were typical of the acid house dance acts spawned by the
city's vibrant scene, later dubbed "Madchester".
Their first white label release, "Space Face", became popular
in Manchester's clubs and brought them to the attention of
New Order’s manager, Rob Gretton, who had left Factory Records
to form a label of his own, Rob's Records.
Their first release for the label in 1992, "The Coast
EP", an instrumental dance track won much praise and
sold well for an underground release. It was the 1993 release
of “Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use)” though that won the lads
legendary Madchester status. As none of the band had much
confidence in their own singing skills, they recruited friend,
Melanie Williams, for the role. The result was a club classic,
reaching number 3 in the UK charts and making appearances
on Top Of The Pops.
The
success went to the heads of Andy, Jimi and Jez, who spent
every penny they earned living it up in Manchester's legendary
club scene. It took them almost a year before they returned
to the studio. The result, “Respect”, was a huge flop whilst
the album "Full Fathom Five", also failed to recreate
the success (and sound) of "Ain't No Love".
Sub
Sub had earned the tag of being one hit wonders but the lads
didn't give up. They worked on new material, almost full-time,
in their studio for three years. They shifted from the acid-house
dance sound they had become famous for and moved towards a
rockier edge, employing guitars, bass and drums. With
almost enough material recorded for a new album, they were
positive about their future.
Everything
changed one tragic night in 1996 though. The lads were out
in Manchester celebrating the twins birthday when they got
a phone call. There had been an electrical fire at the studio
and everything had been destroyed, including the material
they were working on and their equipment.
After
month's of contemplation, the band moved into New Order's
old studio in Manchester's Cheetham Hill and worked hard on
new material. A compilation of this material, entitled "The
Delta Tapes", was released in 1998 and featured collaborations
with Bernard Sumner and Tricky.
Sub
Sub were back - albeit with a completely different sound to
what they had become famous for. To assist in ridding them
of this unwanted stereotype, they decided to change their
name...
In
1998, Doves were born, and the lads haven't looked back since...
Also
see: Doves
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