HatchieWith the release of her debut EP, Sugar & Spice, Hatchie (aka Harriette Pilbeam) rightfully emerged from the swamp of Bandcamp and onto the sprawling Forum Theatre stage. Thankfully, unlike the many other sleepy artists of her realm, Pilbeam and friends sound wonderful here tonight. She's certainly got a mind and a voice for sweet melodies, ensuring that even those who prefer a dryer, more raw sound to their music are still well entertained. Her trademark Rickenbacker is sadly missing from the evening, however. Many dream-pop artists tend to forget that a galaxy of sounds can't compensate for boring songwriting. Thankfully, Pilbeam knows far better than that.
Ever since the explosion of DMA'S with 2014's Delete, these Sydney lads have suffered a long and tragic history of Oasis comparisons. Not that they don't bring it upon themselves with their outfits and Tommy O'Dell's Mancunian accent. Still, the success of their latest album For Now, along with the fact that they've just sold out Melbourne's Forum Theatre, can't be denied.
The moustachioed, dad-hat wearing crowd know every word to every ballad played here tonight. With barely a word spoken in between songs, DMA'S prefer to let their guitars blast feedback rather than go through the old motions of, 'How we doing, Melbourne!?' The tones and chords of lead guitarist Matt Mason often recall the twisted shimmer of Cocteau Twins' Robin Guthrie, albeit not as wobbly and demented. The acoustic guitar present on every number also adds a lovely new dimension of fragility to the troubled lyrics of O'Dell.
With a two-hour set, a lot of these songs could easily seem like a homogeneous blur to the ears of a new listener. That is, until they play a tune like Delete or Step Up The Morphine. Not all ballads are created equal and the crowd knows it, too, with one punter loudly proclaiming, "They've got good tunes, but that one was a fucking tune!"
