DMA’s: Live At Brixton – album review

DMA’s: Live At Brixton

(Infectious Records)

LP | CD | DL

Out now

DMA’s are massive back home in Australia with their new album The Glow just missing the top spot and they have been diligently building a following here on arena tours with Liam Gallagher and Richard Ashcroft.

This double album is a recording of their biggest UK gig to date just before lockdown decimated live music. The three-piece from Sydney have been compared to Oasis and the Roses but, frankly, that is bollocks. Their tight, bouncy powerpop – with the odd slower number thrown in – is more reminiscent of early Vaccines, or The Kooks who they have also supported.

What do they share with Gallagher is a laddish crowd, albeit a younger one. Every time DMA’s slow it down you know they are straight onto their mate’s shoulders for a slightly teary singalong, and the testosterone almost oozes out of the speakers. Toon Soon is representative of this bumper collection of 17 short sharp songs setting out their winning formula of verse, chorus, snappy break from lead guitarist Matt Mason, and Hello Girlfriend’s bittersweet words drive towards a killer chorus.

The first bellow-along is the slower Silver from the new record as Johnny Took strums his acoustic guitar, and it’s already a firm fan favourite as Thomas O’Dell wrings out every ounce of emotion from ‘I’m still coming down/And you know it ain’t that way/Feeling all the things I could not say’. Time & Money, from their second album, For Now, is a sparser affair as is the title track from the new one which suggests a more reflective direction with the guitars chugging along rather than chiming.

The End and Step Up The Morphine generate more singalongs before the roof nearly comes off for their breakout single Delete from their debut Hills End. O’Dell could have gone for a fag break to rest his voice as the lads go into full bellow mode, but it’s strangely moving as surely that connection is what the live experience is all about.

They must be gutted that we are looking at a truncated festival season as this would have been their breakout year, but they can console themselves that Live At Brixton is already in the Top 20, and they’ve sold out Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl.

DMA’s aren’t doing anything particularly new, but what they do they carry off very well much to the delight of a 5000 strong crowd who were so excited they set off a red flare in celebration.

You can follow DMA’s on Facebook and Twitter.

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Words by Paul Clarke, you can see his author profile here.

Source: louderthanwar.com