By Deb Kloeden, Adelaide correspondent
Review: DMAs, Australian Tour
Venue: The Gov, Adelaide. 8th October, 2016
Australia’s three-piece alternative rock band, DMAs, is currently playing a hand-full of sold out shows around Australia. Originally forming in 2012, the band quickly rose to fame with their debut single ‘Delete’. Since then they have enjoyed a roller-coaster ride of success, both in Australia and overseas. They have played sold out shows in the US, UK and Europe, and have appeared at prestigious festivals like Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds. In the US, they were even invited to appear on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Half way through their current Australian tour, I caught them at The Gov in Adelaide where the eager crowd was easily energized by the Adelaide support act, Bad//Dreems. This garage/punk band quickly got the party started and had security on their toes from song 1.
By the time DMAs hit the stage, the crowd was really pumped. They played most of the songs from their debut album ‘Hills End’, opening with ‘Play it Out’ (I’m stuck inside of you, you’re stuck inside of me), one of their earlier releases. Their latest single ‘Timeless’ is one of their more energetic numbers and followed ‘Melbourne’ which has a catchy beat and floating, lyrical chorus. But they made fans wait until the end of their set to hear ‘Delete’, undoubtedly still their most popular song. The haunting, almost unaccompanied vocals in this song builds slowly in pace until the crescendo hits, bringing in long, strong guitar chords and layered vocals. The Oasis-esque vocals are raw, open and vulnerable, providing a refreshing, unique sound. Naturally this track provided plenty of enthusiasm for an encore of 2 songs “Laced’ and the very popular “Lay Down’, which left me feeling fully sated and incredibly happy.
I began their set in the 30cm wide photo pit, dodging security, who were quick in attempting to jump on crowd surfers. When it was time to leave the pit, I headed for the back of the venue where I scored a good position by standing on a bench in the garden courtyard. From here I thoroughly enjoyed watching the silhouettes of people sitting on shoulders & others being passed around the crowd.
Well known for their unassuming dress code, Johnny, Matt and Tommy seem to play down their popularity in every way. They’re really just lads from the ‘burbs’ of Sydney having fun making some music together. But whatever formula they are using, it’s working really well. They have just been nominated for an ARIA Award for ‘Breakthrough Artist’. This will be the 30th anniversary for the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
Following their sold out Australian tour they are heading back to the UK and Europe for an epic 1 month, 23-gig tour, which will finish mid November. They will then return ‘Down Under’ for the summer festivals in Australia including The Falls Festivals and Auckland’s Laneway festival in New Zealand. So if you get a chance to catch them somewhere, you won’t be disappointed.
DMAs tour dates
THU 6 OCTOBER – Croxton Park Hotel – Melbourne, VIC, Australia
FRI 7 OCTOBER – The Croxton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
SAT 8 OCTOBER – The Gov Hindmarsh, SA, Australia
FRI 14 OCTOBER – The Enmore, Sydney, NSW, Australia
SAT 15 OCTOBER – The Triffid, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
WED 19 OCTOBER – Stylus, Leeds, UK
THU 20 OCTOBER – O2 Ritz, Manchester, UK
FRI 21 OCTOBER – La Belle Angele, Edinburgh, UK
SAT 22 OCTOBER – SWG3 Glasgow, UK
MON 24 OCTOBER – Electric Ballroom, London, UK
WED 26 OCTOBER – O2 Institute2, Birmingham, Digbeth, UK
THU 27 OCTOBER – Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea, UK
FRI 28 OCTOBER – The Old Market (TOM), Hove, UK
SAT 29 OCTOBER – Bierkeller, Bristol, UK
MON 31 OCTOBER – Kulturhaus Karlstorbahnhof, Heidelberg, Germany
TUE 1 NOVEMBER – Naumanns, Leipzig, Germany
THU 3 NOVEMBER – Club Stereo, Nuremberg, Germany
FRI 4 NOVEMBER – Mephisto, Faust, Hannover, Germany
FRI 4 NOVEMBER – SAT 5 NOVEMBER – Rolling Stone Weekender 2016, Weissenhäuser Strand, Germany
MON 7 NOVEMBER – De Helling, Utrecht, Netherlands
TUE 8 NOVEMBER – Effenaar, Eindhoven, Netherlands
WED 9 NOVEMBER – Maassilo, Rotterdam, Netherlands
THU 10 NOVEMBER – La Boule Noire, Paris, France
SAT 12 NOVEMBER – Astoria, Turin, Italy
SUN 13 NOVEMBER – Circolo Arci Magnolia, Milan, Italy
MON 14 NOVEMBER – Locomotiv Club, Bologna, Italy
WED 16 NOVEMBER – San Sebastián, Spain
THU 17 NOVEMBER – Moby Dick Club, Madrid, Spain
SAT 3 DECEMBER – Spilt Milk Festival 2016, Canberra, ACT, Australia
WED 28 DECEMBER – SAT 31 DECEMBER – The Falls Music and Arts Festival 2016, Lorne, VIC, Australia
THU 29 DECEMBER – SAT 31 DECEMBER – The Falls Music and Arts Festival 2016, Marion Bay, TAS, Australia
MON 30 JANUARY – Laneway Festival 2017, Auckland, New Zealand
BAND MEMBERS:
Johnny Took – guitarist
Matt Mason – guitarist, songwriter
Tommy O’Dell – lead vocals
PHOTO GALLERY
The images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without written permission to Rock At Night and the photographer. Use of any image is a violation of the United States and international Copyright laws.
From Darkroom to Lightroom in 4 decades.
Deb is aPhotographer, Music Lover, Ex teacher, and traveller.
- WOMADelaide 2020 truly proved that ‘music is the language of us all’ - March 11, 2020
- Byron Bay Bluesfest 2020 could well break all previous records - December 16, 2019
- The best Beach Party will kick off the New Year in Adelaide - December 15, 2019
