DMA’s at The Electric Ballroom

Camden’s Electric Ballroom was charged with anticipation for Sydney-based rock band DMA’s to enter the stage, and what an alluring experience when they did. Tommy O’Dell, Matt Mason and Johnny Took materialised through a haze of smoke and moody lighting and owned the room, jumping straight to it with Play It Out, one of the singles from their first full length album Hills End, released earlier this year.

DMA’s came together in 2012 and since their self-titled EP landed itself just outside the iTunes top 10 albums that summer, they have certainly grabbed many people’s attention. Their current tour as a six-piece band started out in Australasia then has taken on some of Europe’s largest cities.

On first impression, one would never have guessed their nationality and even their clothes would suggest an entirely different genre of music: fashioning baseball caps and bucket hats, prompting the benighted assumption they are a rap or hip-hop group. Their accents sound more Mancunian than Australian, with whiny Gallagher-esque tones, no wonder they have been likened to the 90s British band.

Starting with an absolute belter, DMA’s continued to impress with their performance of Feels Like 37, which opens with chiming guitars and a sense of nostalgia. O’Dell owned the stage but never in an arrogant way; he was truly present with the audience. Then came a cover of Madonna’s Beautiful Stranger, eerie and stripped bare. The band started to wrap things up with their most well-known debut single, Delete, an acoustic love song that got everyone singing along.

DMA’s are a welcome addition to London’s music scene. In an era full of electronic music, it can often be a challenge to find a noteworthy band. This one takes us back to basics, and sometimes that’s all you really need.

Hannah Staunton
Photos: Nick Bennett

For further information about DMA’s and future events visit here.

Watch the video for Delete here: