2023/04/10 – DMA’s – KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton
Review & Photos: G Rossington.
Mention Australian band DMA’s to anyone in the UK and you are hit with two very different responses; it is either “who?” or “love them!”. DMA’s made up of singer Tommy O’Dell, lead guitarist Matt Mason and guitarist Johnny Took alongside touring members; Joel Flyger on rhythm guitar, Jonathan Skourletos on bass and drummer Liam Hoskins arrived in Wolverhampton for their debut Wolves gig which has been long Sold Out following their recent fourth album ‘How Many Dreams?’.
Opening proceedings tonight is Scotsman Dylan John Thomas who is greeted on stage to chants of his name from the lively audience. He provides a short set that is very well received featuring highlights such as ‘Feel the Fire’, ‘What I Need’ and frantic opener ‘Jenny’. He also provides mean covers of ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ (Arctic Monkeys) and ‘Someday’ (The Strokes). The closing ‘Nobody Else’ cements him as a great performer and definitely a newbie to watch on the circuit.
Between the stage being reset and cleared for the headliners and the lights dimming to signal the start, the audience are in fine fettle, singing along joyously to the multitude of indie hits being pumped out over the PA. Tonight looks set to be very memorable and rowdy, just how a gig should be!
As the band arrive on stage, the atmosphere is electric. They launch straight in to the title track from their newest album ‘How Many Dreams?’ which encourages the audience to being their bounce along. ‘Olympia’ is greeted with cheers of delight and ‘The Glow’ sees the audience almost outdo the band in volume. This sets the precedent for the rest of the night.
DMA’s, if you are not familiar, are gaining a reputation for providing Oasis style anthems, with Smiths inspired jangly guitar undertones. Tonight is all about the anthems and providing that much needed serotonin as a means of escape from the ugly politics of daily living. ‘Take. Deck. Sick’, ‘Fading Like a Picture’ and ‘Hello Girlfriend’ add further weight to their mastercraft. A stripped back acoustic rendition of ‘Forever’ is one of the highlights of the night by far. ‘Silver’ and ‘Delete’ bring the classics to the fore and amplify the levels in the audience participation.
The main set is closed by the due of ‘Play it Out’ and ‘Lay Down’. There is an all but brief interlude as the band leave the stage, the roadies run on to retune instruments and then the lights fade out again. The band return for a jam-packed 4-song encore starting with ‘Blown Away’ followed by ‘Laced’. Frontman Tommy O’Dell is on fire. Whilst prowling around the stage as he has throughout the whole set, he doesn’t hog the limelight, sharing it equally with his fellow bandmates.
‘Feels Like 37’ comes in next and sets the room up for a rousing finale of ‘Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s The Weekend’. The band thank us for coming out and promise to come back again soon. After the rousing show comes to an end, it is clear to see why DMA’s are revered as one of modern indie’s greatest. They still may not be known by a few, some are still discovering them, and others like tonight, are selling out these intimate shows. On the strength of their latest record, DMA’s are here to stay.
