It feels like DMA’s have recently been spending more time in the UK than in their home country, Australia.
But in their defence, they have a good reason for that. I finally clocked it at their Newcastle gig last week.
It has everything to do with the unique relationship the band has built with its loyal British fanbase over the years. And they have pulled some pretty big guns to do that.
First things first. This post contains a few show spoilers. So if you’re going to see a DMA’s gig soon, you’re reading this at your own risk.
Because you know which band I’m talking about, right? If you don’t, where have you been in the last ten years or so?
DMA’s are Tommy O’Dell (main vocals), Johnny Took (acoustic and rhythm guitars) and Matt Mason (lead guitar and backing vocals). They usually take Jonathan Skourletos (bass) and Liam Hoskins (drums) on tour. When needed, the guitarists change places on stage, with Matt jumping on the keys.
Since 2015, the Sydneysiders have released four studio albums, two live ones, two EPs and some stand-alone singles, also as featured artists. Not a bad catalogue size, I’d say.
Interestingly, they’ve never won an ARIA (the Aussie Grammy) award. Yet – I’m certain of that.
When they dropped The Glow album in 2020, it was my safe haven during the pandemic. I know I won’t say anything original here, but “Silver” saved my life on sooooo many levels. Honestly, I didn’t think they could ever beat that release when it comes to the number of bangers.
Yet, three years later, they have revealed another spin on their genre, mixing it up with a VERY dance/electronic sound on How Many Dreams?. I guess it’s a natural progression to The Glow (although, in all fairness, “De Carle” did take me by surprise). Still, compared to the first two albums this one is quite different.
If you’re a DMA’s fan, you can love it or hate it. But you can’t really deny that the lads surely know how to take their craft to the next level, staying true to their “indie rock” core at the same time. (I love the guitar parts on this new album, too.)
The band has also recently won the first Hottest 100 ‘Like A Version’ countdown, organised by Aussie youth’s fave radio station, triple j. Their beaut cover of Cher’s “Believe” was in my top 10 as well. But competition was stiff, with heaps of iconic renditions over the years. So it’s an accolade DMA’s will surely cherish for years to come.
Since the Hottest 100 is a ranking voted on by the public, it is also a testament to the band’s undeniable popularity on their home turf. FYI – every time they announce a national tour or festival appearance, they pull in massive crowds in Australia, with sold-out shows being the norm.
But how does that translate to overseas then?
I call DMA’s “the most British band outside of Britain”, in a good sense. It shows in their genre, which even Wikipedia calls the “Britpop revival”. But it’s also reflected in the diverse musical influences the group members have listed over the years. From the classic Britpop acts like Oasis to legends like The Stone Roses and New Order.
So here’s your first reason why they resonate with UK audiences so much. Because let’s be honest – there’s nothing Brits love more than their local artists or foreign acts who admire those artists.
[And the venue cleverly played on that nostalgia. It seemed like the pre-gig music was specifically tailored to the occasion, with a few classics played to the punters’ delight. Among them were two of my faves, “Stupid Girl” by Garbage and “Relax” by Frankie Goes To Hollywood.]
On top of that, the new album merch is a football shirt collab (modelled by Matt and Tommy themselves) between DMA’s and… a British sportswear company called Admiral.
And we all know how Brits (especially from England) feel about football. Those official soccer tees literally flew off the shelves. A few punters sported them at the gig in Newcastle, but they’re currently sold out on the band’s website.
Additionally, DMA’s members sometimes post on their socials about attending football matches (namely Everton) when they visit the UK. So they couldn’t have scored (pun intended) a better collab this time, which – I’m sure – was a deliberate move.
So well played, DMA’s.
In this UK leg of their 2023 tour, the lads planned two gigs back to back in Newcastle. I only attended the first one. But my sources tell me the second one was equally entertaining.
So here’s what went down when I was in the audience.
The set was 15 songs long (including three in the encore). Even though the tour is a part of the new album promo (How Many Dreams? was released in March this year), it was a balanced mix of old and new tracks. Thankfully. Because quite a few people I’d classify more as fans from the DMA’s “indie rock” era formed part of the crowd that night.
And before you ask. No, the band didn’t include “Believe” in the set. I reckon it’s more of a festival tune, too. Plus, the rest of the song selection was pretty awesome, so there were no reasons to complain.
I deliberately hadn’t checked the setlist before the gig. But for the show’s start, my money was 100% on the opening track from the new record. And I was right because “How Many Dreams?” (the song) is just a straight-up party scorcher designed to kick off an epic night out.
That was followed by a blast from the (remote) past, “Play It Out”. Then, a series of four newer bangers followed: “The Glow”, “Silver”, “Olympia”, and “Something We Are Overcoming”.
And here, I reckon, is your second reason why DMA’s are a beloved act in the UK.
There are different ways to organise your setlist. Some acts wait with their current hits until a bit further into the show. Some even save them for last. But hey, if you get them served up consecutively in the first half of the gig, what is there not to love about the band?
This leads me to reason number three straight away.
You wouldn’t necessarily associate DMA’s with mosh pits, right? Well, think again because there were also quite a few troublemakers at the gig on Friday night. So it was bound to get hectic at some stage.
Not only was it extremely stuffy in the venue, but at some point, the rowdy part of the crowd in the middle section decided to turn up the heat even more. Garments were flying around, the crowd was swerving from side to side, and you could almost taste the collective sweat. One lucky sod even managed to crowd-surf to the front.
But wait, there’s more.
By that time, the crowd pushed me all the way to the front, too. [Which, sadly, isn’t reflected in the footage from the gig. It’s tricky to take notes, photos, record videos, try to enjoy the show and not get knocked out by a fellow audience member, all at the same time. Soz for that!] And I got to enjoy, from up close, the surprising little element Matt threw in the mix, just to stir things up a little more.
It’s always interesting to see how band members interact on stage in those less scripted moments. So we got a glimpse of that when, at the end of “Hello Girlfriend”, Matt belted out the song’s first verse, “Such a funny thing for me, try to explain”, to a metal-like guitar riff… thirteen times. And every time he did it, everyone (including the band, I dare say) thought it was the last time. Legend!
[Speaking of rowdiness, though. My middle finger goes to that twat who threw a cup of water on stage. Fortunately, Johnny was closely watching the crowd, so he evaded the likely hit. WTF is wrong with people these days?! The bands are there for YOU, and they’re actually doing their fucking jobs. So just STOP throwing shit at your fave musos on stage. Period.]
For the rest of the night, we experienced more nostalgia (in “Delete” or “Feels Like 37”) and heard more new songs (like “Fading Like a Picture” or “Forever”). Tommy let the fans do the singing quite often. Matt was showing off on the guitar. And Johnny did most of the talking and interaction with the audience.
Despite some minor tech glitches, the band sounded awesome. And they totally nailed the venue choice because Riverside is an old-school two-storey place that still feels like an intimate band room.
So my only complaint is the gig’s length.
It was about 70 mins long. Closing on “Everybody Saying Thursday’s The Weekend” was a smart move that left people in the party mood. But with so much music released over the years, I would have expected DMA’s to go on for a bit longer.
I choose to blame it on external factors, however. The instrument check before the show took longer than expected, so the band walked out on stage well after 9 PM, with the curfew at 10.30 PM.
It was good to hang out with a few people after the gig, too. I guess I just forgot what it’s like to be a super fan.
I met a 19-year-old Newcastle local, Beth, who also had tickets for the second night. She later DM-ed me to say she accidentally met Matt in town. Before the Saturday gig, he was casually strolling through the street. So she finally got a photo with him, which she was hoping for after the gig on Friday. Good on ya, Beth!
There was also Manchster-bred and Scotland-based Pam. And frankly speaking, I wanna be like Pam when I grow up. She’s over 50 and was rocking to EVERY. SINGLE. SONG. She also later sent me a photo of her arm, bruised from leaning on the barrier. Well, if that’s not dedication, then I don’t know what else is.
Last but not least, you know that feeling when you wait for something for a long time, and then it happens, and suddenly you have nothing else to look forward to because it was everything you expected? That’s how I felt about the DMA’s gig in Newcastle.
So I guess it’s fitting to quote Johnny here, who said this towards the end of the show:
“We’re from the other side of the world but we love coming here. You guys took us under your wings. You’ve changed our lives. Thank you.”
Well, DMA’s lads, you’ve also changed many people’s lives. (Says a girl who’s not even British). So how about that interview I’ve been trying to get with youse for a while? 😉
P.S. Who’s coming where? Tickets are now available on the band’s website.
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