Live Review: DMA'S, Green Buzzard

Opening to the very full and bustling basement of Fat Controller were indie-rock outfit, Green Buzzard. Having only been on the scene for just over a year, you wouldn't have guessed this five-piece didn't play a single live show together before getting signed to I Oh You.

Although the band's comfort playing on a foreign stage to a packed out venue seemed unsteady at times, the guys generously warmed up the crowd with their washed out, '90s rock tunes. Standouts from their debut EP Eazy Queezy Squeezy (2016) like Frequency Overload and (I Don't Wanna) Break Your Heart that were driven by big, gutsy riffs had new fans hooked.

Bringing the entire crowd to a screaming, cheering, whistling mess of bodies and donning their signature casual activewear, DMA'S took to the stage next. In the midst of touring their long-awaited (and really fantastic) debut LP Hills End (2016), DMA'S were met with a huge crowd response, affirming that the wait to hear Hills End in the flesh was worth it. Hills End is a very effortlessly nostalgic album that transports you to an overcast afternoon, cloudy skies reminding you of your misguided relationships. This charm and honesty shines in big tracks like Too Soon ("When you're on your own, do you break down?") and So We Know ("Till I change, and you go, and it rains, so we know").

Despite these heavier moments (instrumentally and emotionally), frontman Tommy O'Dell doesn't forget about the lure of an acoustic guitar. Turning the mosh into a gentle sway with a stripped back version of the song that very much put DMA'S on the scene, Delete, made for a massive singalong and pretty much the only moment of peace throughout the night. Continuing their way through the album and delivering on their distinctive '90s British rock sounds, we got both playful layered harmonies in Play It Out and harder, growling guitars in Melbourne. Wrapping up with a huge edition of In The Moment, DMA'S left a hot, sticky energy in the basement that was hard to shake even once the show was long over. This humble trio from Newtown are certainly here to stay.