The DMA’s – Tuning Fork October 20, 2017

Australian trio The DMA’s made their New Zealand live performance debut at Auckland’s Tuning Fork last night. The 13th Floor sent reviewer David Boyle and photographer Chris Zwaagdyk to the show…

I have this love hate relationship with Spotify.  I love it because it is a great way to find music and I hate it because there is too much choice.  Each year I set up a new folder for bands and songs that I think are worthy of more attention later.  Trouble is you never go back because there is always something new just around the corner. More on this later.

Earlier in the week a mate of mine Pete sent a message asking if I was going to see the DMAs?  I said no hadn’t heard of them and I had no idea who they were, or what they sounded like.

What caught my attention was he called them “the Aussie answer to Oasis”. A big call I thought and really why would an Aussie band that consisted of 3 members being, Matt Mason, Tommy O’Dell and Johnny Took, base their sound on the Britpop era of Oasis, Pulp and Blur?

The Tuning Fork wasn’t totally full but the buzz was high and when lights came down the three members gainfully took their positions on stage and kicked off the gig with So We Know.  

Straight away they sounded tight and the vibe of the venue lifted up another notch and for me it was like slipping on a comfy pair of slippers. By that I mean they sounded like bands of my past and even dressed a little like their influences of the 90’s right down to the parka jacket and cap. The rest of the band members then joined them on stage and created an intriguing wall of sound by the end of the first song.

I felt for the drummer who seemed to be dropped into a cavity around butt height of the rest of the band, but he provided a great rhythm that led to a reasonably frantic setlist with little chatter from lead singer Tommy O’Dell, and more focus on the music. I really loved that!

The jangling guitars, snaring yet soft at times lead vocals, and catchy choruses had the audience connecting straight away with neat little rifts weaved into the lyrics of the day which many of the punters happily contributed to during the course of the night.

The sound overall was very good however there were times that it sounded a little muddy with regular signals from some of the band members to notch up the acoustic guitar and cleaning up the vocals from time to time.

That said the DMAs have something.

For a young band, the experience was something like me seeing the Arctic Monkeys for the first time at the St James,  they were tight, polished with just enough angst that took be back to my own teenage years.

They mixed their relatively short set with both old and new tracks with a confidence and maturity ahead of their years.  And that was the attraction for me.  Not really knowing their songs well I found myself smiling and being taken back to a less complicated time.  Standout tracks for me were Melbourne, Dawning (their new single), Step Up The Morphine and Laced, with my pick of the night being Delete.  Just a magical song that really reflects what this band is about.

The set closed with a wall of fuzz which filled the venue until they all came back and finished off the encore in style with Play It Loud, Emily Whyte and Lay Down which brings me back to Spotify because it was by chance this song was already in my 2017 playlist which just goes to show even for an old fella I picked something that caught my attention with that song. It was a great night, and great track to finish off the night, and the crowd in my opinion walked away getting their money’s worth and then some.

I expect to see more of these boys in the future and I can now say I am a true fan which is no mean feat.

David Boyle

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Chris Zwaagdyk: