DMA’s: Wembley Arena, London

“I find it sad that there’s a whole generation of kids, working-class kids who have got nothing of their own to buy into and they’re projecting all that onto a couple of 50-year-old fellas. Where’s the new Oasis? Where’s that? Where is that, where are those guys?”

(Noel Gallagher taking on Jonathan Ross 2021)

DMA’s. DMA’s are those guys and on Friday night at Wembley Arena, they crossed the threshold from academy venue-filling indie band to generation-defining stars they’ve been threatening to do since 2016’s ‘Hills End’.

The unlikely Australian heroes walk on stage with the intro to ‘How Many Dreams?’ already pulsating through the huge crowd. The electricity in the room is tangible. The sudden realisation that the Sydney trio were about to transcend to immortality.

All bands have die-hard fans. They’ll jump to prove their love no matter what. Front and centre, every gig, they are there. The signifier of a band crossing over to that moment of gigantic glory is when it filters further and further back. As Tommy O’Dell’s angelic vocal decrees “how many dreams?”, the raptures are found a way beyond the sound desk and up in the seats. It’s bedlam. Only England winning knockout football breeds this loved-up debauchery. Togetherness is love, and DMA’s have it in abundance.

The set openers mirror the new album’s tracklisting with ‘Olympia‘ following. Matthew Mason’s rippling guitars send a feverish crowd into utter delirium. Two tracks in and best friends and lovers are hugging in disbelief. Their band was doing it. Their band was the style and the substance! Their band are it!

With every passing track their power grew culminating in previous albums ‘The Glow’ and ‘Silver’. ‘Live Forever’ and ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ at some point in British history ceased to be Oasis songs and became folklore handed on to future generations as beacons of hope. ‘The Glow’ and ‘Silver’ are rapidly approaching this territory.

‘The Glow’, with that crowd, became the archetypal two fingers up work and government. This was the people’s moment in the spotlight, and no-one missed their opportunity to rid themselves of the day-today. On the flipside ‘Silver’ felt more like a hymn than an indie-anthem. O’Dell’s presence was barely required as the crowd unified around the tracks uncertain and searching lyrics.

Four albums in, DMA’s power should really be fading. New songs should be becoming piss breaks not set closers. Oasis always failed to integrate the good work of ‘Heathen Chemistry’ onwards into a set alongside the power of ‘Definitely Maybe’ or the hysteria of ‘Morning Glory’. The DMA’s however, albeit to smaller crowds, are marrying the raw power of ‘Timeless’ and ‘Lay Down’ alongside the pop majesty of ‘Olympia’ and ‘Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s The Weekend’ effortlessly.

It was supposed to be Brixton Academy, a venue half the size. Through tragedy and corruption (at Brixton), DMAs were forced to move to Wembley. They rose to the occasion and delivered a gig that will echo down the ages.

DMA's - Silver

The surprise package of the decade, DMA’s return to sprinkle hope and sunshine on the dreary UK winter skylines once more. Their latest single ‘Silver’, released via Infectious Music, is the leadoff single to their upcoming third album.

No one can touch Thomas O’Dell’s right now. His soft but intensely emotive vocals cut through every ounce of election bullshit we’re fed at present. The story, an almost a modern take on Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity, looks back on a failed relationship and how they consume the male protagonist’s mind years later.

The torment within the lines ‘It’s funny that I think of you right now / Knowing all the years that turned to clouds’ is agonising. It will set minds racing to the one who got away immediately and questions of how it all slipped away will lurk painfully.

Thankfully, through the soaring closing stages, they offer a chink of light:

“How do I redefine
All my love for you
I guess I look to the sun with you
How do I realise”

Their que sera sera moment will drag you from unatoned realms to sun-drenched climates instantly.  

If there is a sweeter sound than The DMA’s, by all means, let us know, we bet you’re wrong!

The Courteeners: Heaton Park, Manchetser

“I miss the city I love but I've been having an affair
With L.A and New York, Dundee
And Doncaster if I may dare
Of course I do, of course I do
But I was meant for this place, and I was meant for you”

Four days on from The Courteeners hometown triumph at Heaton Park, the slightest thought of ‘Are You In Love With A Notion’ is still delivering some serious goosebumps. This wasn’t just a gig, this was, in the words of Liam Fray “a party”.

The Courteeners have been here before in 2015 but, this past Saturday was more than double the size at fifty thousand people and. Every street, bus, train and tram was alive with anticipation in Manchester Saturday lunchtime. It was impossible to deny, even by this hardened cynical view of outdoor gigs. From note one from Goth pop outfit Pale Waves, it’s clear, Manchester isn’t to suffer the same fate as the string of gigs too quiet in London.

When Liam and co walked on stage, something special happened for two hours. It wasn’t rock stars playing to their adoring fans. This was a personal affair, almost as if it an unsigned band had convinced all their mates to come alone for support.

The atmosphere The Courteeners generate is, for all wankers in the industry wondering what their appeal is (aside good tunes), their usp. Heaton park became the greatest playground of all time. The flares, the mud, the drizzle, the endless Union jack waterproofs from Primark, the mud (the endless mud), the overflowing urinals, laughing at people stacking it, and the dedicated follower of fashion in his brand new white trainers. THE MUD!

It’s been fourteen years since The Courteeners begun and, during the two new songs, showed no signs of slowing down. ‘Better Man’ had such an infectious chorus it was being sung back by the end.

Whether people came to hear ‘The Smiths Disco’ or reaffirm their love of ‘St. Jude’, this was not only a gig for the ages, it was a triumphant for the underdog. Memories of Frank Turner’s underground insurgency at Wembley Arena in 2012 came flooding back. Seven years on from that night, the industry is still throwing money at homogenised dullards. For any kid attendance wanting to form a band, stick your head above the parapet and be yourselves. You will be adored!  

We never post clips from peoples phones but, this was too much fun to ignore despite the iffy sound:

Friday 2nd August marks our 8th birthday. Come down to the New Cross Inn for a night of great live music. Tickets available here:

DMA's - For Now

This album is new, apparently, and yet, its familiarity is immediate. At times, it’s effortless, catchy, and rhythmic, could it be an instant classic?

From note one of opener and album title ‘For Now’, it’s clear to see why Andy Bell professed “DMA’s are the future”. Guitars swirl like Bell’s Ride at their hazy best and crucially, there is broodiness lying within like early Verve.

Contrast that with 'Dawning', a pure trip down La's and Go-Betweens melody lane. Again, there is an essence of darkness, a snarl which loiters with the utmost righteousness. When spirit and belief merge like this, dreams of big unified crowds materialise.

The quest for purity of soul can occasionally be their downfall, however. A lack of shade dampens the beauty of those magic moments. ‘The End’ and ‘In The Air’ feel like they are reaching for something that isn’t there.

That said, when the C86 ‘Warsaw’ and ‘Lazy Love’ come to the fore, you could hardly blame them for striving for happiness every time. ‘Warsaw’ exuberantly blends Primal Scream’s debut album with the Paisley singles of early Stone Roses. ‘Lazy Love’, channels ‘Elephant Stone' via the indie-folk jangle of Belle & Sebastien’s classic ‘Boy With The Arab Strap’, you’ll wish it rambled on for hours.

An instant classic? It’s a way off. However, they are far more than Oasis revivalists. With Ride, Verve, The Cure, Primal Scream, Go-Betweens, Stone Roses all appearing as influences, a path is emerging for them to find their own voice.

Image Source: Alexander Gow - https://www.facebook.com/lnwyco/