Doves, Astoria, London

It's not too late to join the party

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Doves online

Whatever became of the "24-Hour Party People" celebrated in Michael Winterbottom's new movie about the early-Nineties "Madchester" music scene? As Haçienda regulars, rejoicing in E-generation euphoria, Jimi Goodwin and the twin brothers Jez and Andy Williams were bit players in the mass movement that thrived around the Happy Mondays and New Order.

The trio formed the dance outfit Sub Sub and, signed to the late New Order manager Rob Gretton's own label, they enjoyed a number two hit in 1993. Sub Sub's success lasted longer than 24 hours but only slightly. In the years between their collapse and their rebirth as Doves, they had plenty of time to brood on faded dreams and lost fortune.

The acclaimed Mercury Prize nominated Doves debut Lost Souls was the result – sweeping, melancholic rock that put a premium on swooning melodies and the band's love of house and rave culture. In their former life, success took Doves by surprise; tonight, with a set that leans heavily on material from The Last Broadcast, their forthcoming album on Heavenly, they show that they're not about to be caught napping a second time.

They are an unassuming, visually unremarkable band, but while the video backdrop was welcome, unobtrusive and enriching, Goodwin's cheery between-song banter – baiting the audience with Manchester City football chants – was unnecessary. Doves' music speaks volumes without any need for such trimmings. The opener, "Pounding" – a furious pop song that springs from the dancefloor but soars towards the heavens – shows how their tightly structured sound glories in propulsion and expansion. Goodwin's low-slung bass sends out Peter Hook-style juggernaut riffs, and as the baleful, but radiant new single "There Goes The Fear" takes hold, you can hear why Doves are hailed as inheritors of the mantle once held by the Stone Roses or the Verve.

They may lack a charismatic front person to animate their concerns, but they use this to their advantage by allowing the tumult and nagging desperation in their songs to dominate. Jez Williams operates an array of pedals and effects, while his brother's deathless drumming combines the metronomic efficiency of dance beat with a rugged, determined zeal.

The pace changes for "Friday's Dust", a shimmering acoustic requiem that is haunted by eerie splashes of cymbal and the shadow of cocaine paranoia. "Lost Souls" highlights the group's essential democracy. Andy Williams at the mic, Goodwin on drums, Seventies youth at the Wigan Casino up on screen. The closing encore, the pained testifying of "The River Song", was a real cry from the heartland inspired by the rising tide of male suicide. The 24-Hour Party People couldn't go on for ever, but Doves sound like the perfect band to help them pick up the pieces.