Live Review: DMA's, The Creases, Archers

In the second show on their Adelaide leg of their current tour, Sydney-based trio DMA’s delivered their signature brand of ‘90s-esque liveliness to a packed-out Rocket Bar promoting their debut self-titled album.

Local five-piece Archers set the tone for the night, blending soaring vocals with swelling rhythms to envelop the small yet engaged audience in wonderfully atmospheric melodies. Playing both homebrand bangers (including Long Now and Nobodies) and newer grooves, they covered a range of musical genres, satisfying even the most closed-minded listener. Frontman Hugh Black managed to successfully juxtapose slightly awkward banter and lose-yourself-in-the-moment-you-own-it type body movements, whilst consistently vibing well with the rest of the band. The guys seem to have found their unique sound, and their fondness for performing live is always evident.

Next up were The Creases, providing glorious Vaccines-inspired shoegaze beats every punter could sink their teeth into. Combining slick guitar riffs, crooning melodies (thank you for the words, Joe Agius) and melancholic undertones, the Brisbane quartet embodied effortless cool. Although a lack of crowd-pleasing chit-chat may have disillusioned the odd fan a little, the group’s catchy jams won the masses over, with set highlights including simple yet well-composed hits Fall Guy, Static Lines and CD title track, Gradient. Bassist Aimon Clark deserves a special mention for his captivating gyrations, Zooey Deschanel-style bangs and outrageously tight skinny jeans; a Beatnik vision to behold. Appearances aside, their comfortable on-stage presence and well-rehearsed tunes translated excellently on the night.

DMA’s (featuring a questionable use of the possessive apostrophe) finally took to the stage and were enthusiastically greeted by a rowdy mob of already-loyal fans. Launching straight into boisterous gut-buster, Feels Like 37, leader and singer Tommy O’Dell’s husky tones were accompanied by Matt Mason and Johnny Took’s driving rhythms to provide an urgent reminder of what’s behind the band’s newly-found hype. Interspersed with jangly chord progressions and nostalgic indie-rock melodies, the gig felt both organic and fluent. Softer ballad, Delete, unfortunately evoked a certain ‘…. strums every white, feels-ridden and vaguely-musical male ever’ atmosphere when played live, yet it remained a clear crowd favourite nonetheless. Despite their freshness on the Australian music scene, DMA’s are certainly mastering the art of captivating an audience and providing a raw, upbeat performance.