James D Clarke

Monday night was a blast from the past. My friend and former Dum Dums frontman Josh Doyle played in Birmingham on his first UK tour since the Dum Dums split up and he moved to the USA in 2003.

From 1997-2001 I ate, slept, walked, and talked Dum Dums, going along for the ride of a lifetime with Josh, my cousin Steve, and Stu. In 2000-2001 they went from being an unknowns to having top 20 singles, a top 20 album, appearing on almost every TV show in the UK, touring the world with the likes of Bon Jovi and Robbie Williams, and playing numerous festivals, culminating in a sell out show at the legendary Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London. It was an amazing time for everyone involved, and we all had a ball before we were really old enough to appreciate what was going. As with all good things, it had to come to an end, and in mid 2001 during the writing of what would have been their 2nd album the band imploded, taking their final bow before a huge crowd at the Greenbelt Festival in Cheltenham. Relationships were strained after the break-up and I only saw Josh once very briefly before he sold everything he owned and moved to Nashville, Tennessee with his wife in 2003.

Having kept in sporadic contact via email over the last 7 years, I was pretty excited when I got an email from Josh a few weeks ago saying that he was planning on returning to the UK to preview his new solo material, particularly as he was coming to Birmingham. It was a long time since the Dum Dums had split up but I was secretly hoping that Josh, Steve, and Stu would be able to put their old differences aside and enjoy the occasion. Luckily, everything turned out brilliantly!

Josh approached Steve and Stu in advance and asked them if they’d be interested in doing a couple of Dum Dums numbers at the encore of his Birmingham show…and they were both game And so, the worse kept secret in the history of the band was born…

At the gig Josh played a great set with his makeshift band of UK-based friends, including my good friend Rich Johnstone who put in a sterling effort on bass guitar (nice one Rich!). The set stretched Josh’s career and included Dum Dums tracks, as well as song from his EPs ‘The End Of Fear’ and the new ‘Values and Virtues’, and before long, Steve and Stu joined him on stage much to the ’surprise’ of everyone in the audience.

Having not played together since 2001 they were understandably a little rusty, but in true Dum Dums fashion bashed through ‘Photographs’, ‘Robot Boy’ and debut single ‘Everything’ (which they’d run through once in soundcheck), before Josh decided it was a good idea to attempt ‘Lonely Hearts Company’ and ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Thoughts’, completely unrehearsed. Strings were broken, capos were dropped, songs were re-started, jokes were made, and everyone had a great time! It was rough around the edges, and just like the old days when no one knew what might happen next, but they pulled it off and everyone finished with smiles on their faces. It was great to see so many familiar faces at the gig - a real testament to the band’s influence.

After the show we headed back to Rich’s house and talked into the early hours. It was a really special night, and it was great to see Josh, Steve, and Stu joking around as if they’d only seen each other yesterday.

I love it when a plan comes together.