Based on their Mancunian drug-dealer image and proudly exposed Brit pop/Madchester influences, it’s easy to feel an aversion for DMA’s. There’s something to be said, however, for the way these touchstones are embraced without a speck of irony. While DMA’s don’t hide their stylistic precursors, witnessing the band live illustrates how comprehensively drawn the aforementioned shtick is.
DMA’s debut, five-track EP came out just six months ago. Tonight’s gig was the second sold-out Melbourne show of an almost entirely sold-out Australian tour. The band quickly blew up, but it wasn’t latching onto an in vogue movement which allowed them to do so. Truth be told, it’s fairly unfashionable territory DMA’s have situated themselves in. Oasis were never the ministers for cool, nor were they a daring revolutionary force. But they did manage to take from the likes of The Beatles and The Stone Roses and create something for people to love in and of itself.
Right from opening number, Feels Like 37, DMA’s owned the stage, the room and the surrounding streets. Live, the core trio gets augmented with three additional players. Employing a triple guitar attack seems excessive, but placing a constantly strumming acoustic amid mountains of swirling distortion and frequent memorable lead breaks built a Spector-esque wall of sound, sturdy as a wheel of parmesan.
The set list wasn’t confined to, nor defined by, the EP tracks. More often than not, when bands try out new songs, they’re lukewarmly received. Furthermore, given DMA’s lead single Delete was a breakthrough hit, it seemed likely a percentage of the audience were hanging out to hear that song alone. Conversely, each of a handful of new songs was met with attentive curiosity and, in many instances, equivalent applause to the EP material. A highlight was the evening’s second tune, which featured a bulldozing northern soul groove and a melody Ian Brown wish he’d included on The Stone Roses’ second album.
Instead of an encore, the stage was left open for the principal trio to tackle latest single So We Know.This was followed by Delete, which saw the room immediately erupt into sing-a-long mode – a sensation fortified when the remainder of the band stepped back on stage half way through. Surely they wouldn’t try to top this? There was still one EP track left to be played, though, and surprisingly Play It Out managed to lift the atmosphere even higher than the crescendos of Delete.
DMA’s have showed us they’re no one trick pony, but they’re still yet to eclipse the mark of their influences. Even though nothing else in their repertoire has the anthemic immediacy of Delete,they’ve got an impressive stock of songwriting tools. If they can get the sincerity – and contiguous recklessness – of their live shows onto record then they’re sure to turn the favour of plenty of naysayers.
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
Loved: Sunday sesh.
Hated: Bucket hats (still).
Drank: Lager, innit.
