Live Review: DMA's

DMA's have been rather out of reach with their string of European and American tours and festival circuits of late. But last night the Sydney-born buzz band got a very warm homecoming at their sold-out show, downstairs in The (boiling) Basement. Donning their signature '90s athletic caps and baggy tracksuit bottoms, the Newtown boys entered the stage to deafening screams. Being 11pm on a Saturday night the crowd were well-oiled and itching for their fix of scuzzy alt-rock meets Britpop revival, and with the barrage of huge choruses and hooks from Feels Like 37 and Your Low, that's exactly what they got from the get-go. 

The trio had doubled in size for this live performance, with drums and more axes for extra measure, which made for an overcrowded stage. Between the six sweaty young lads vying for expressive musical space, their scattered beer bottles and the mini mosh pits churning in the front rows, the stage and overall venue were a hot mess. But DMA's used it to their advantage, creating a palpable camaraderie among themselves as well as with their fans, and an energetic atmosphere reminiscent of an underground Mancunian pub-rock concert (that's a compliment). The show wasn't all lashings of shoegaze rock and roaring vocals though. There were engrossing, stripped-down moments during the acoustic, gentle-strumming of So We Know and the anthemic, hand-waving of Delete. Mid-way through the heart-on-your-sleeve track, the rest of the band resurfaced to help frontman Tommy O'Dell bring it home with a powerful crescendo. The 45-minute set concluded with Laced and an aptly extended version of the uptempo Play It Out. But before it was over, a zealous fan jumped the stage and tried to plant a cheeky hug and kiss on guitarist Johnny Took. He artfully — and questionably — dodged her like a bullet. The crowd did holler for an encore. Just "one more!" — but it never came. Awkward.