25 October 2023 – The Tivoli, Brisbane – words and pictures by Bec Lee
When you’ve lived through a few decades, you’ve seen a lot and heard your fair share of music. And if you’re into a certain genre, you know it so well and you can regularly pick up influences in songs. There’s also a danger in hearing so much of a certain era in a band’s work that it is difficult to enjoy what you’re hearing, as it’s so derivative. Many times, in my youth I heard uncles and my dad’s friends say “Ha! That sounds like The Beatles” or “His voice sounds like Brian Ferry’s”.
Admittedly, I still compare and hear influences regardless, but I don’t want to be one of those “old” people. So, a few years back I made sure I listened to DMA’S and followed their work. In singer Tommy O’Dell’s voice, I hear a mix of vocalists, but I can’t pin down one name. In DMA’S musical styles I do hear Manchester bands of the past, but I also hear brilliant song writing and musicianship. And now I can say, I also see in them a fantastic live act, both performance-wise and musically.
The Sydney based trio are so popular in Brisbane that they played 2 nights this week at The Tivoli, and on Wednesday it totally sold-out. Supported by duo Royel Otis (also Sydney siders), the venue is packed with massive queues at all 3 bars in the venue. It warms the heart to see punters out and about mid-week enjoying Australian live music.
Royel Otis play a very short set, but the standing room floor is full and there are plenty of people up the front to catch them play. People seem to like them a lot, and I see why – “dreamy indie pop” is what they’ve been described as, perhaps a nod to the late 90s-early 00’s indie. We get a selection of tracks from their 2 EPs and latest album ‘Sofa Kings’, including the title track – and then it’s all over and we have 30 minutes until DMA’S. It’s worth noting that Royel Otis have recently been nominated for an ARIA, the Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist award – good luck lads!
Speaking of ARIAs, DMA’S are in the running for Album of the Year for ‘How Many Dreams?’ as well as Best Group. They’ve been together for 10 years and continue to release quality work. As they arrive on stage, I’m hoping the new material sounds as good as the older stuff.
Opening with title track ‘How Many Dreams?’, songwriter and rhythm guitarist Johnny Took sets the precedent for the entire performance as he engages with the crowd from the get-go, nodding along to the beat, standing front-of-stage, holding up his acoustic guitar and grinning away. The crowd respond to this, and so do I, as I am also shooting, and his stage presence makes for some awesome shots. The lighting is also superb, adding to the euphoria. This band is loved.
The stand-out moment for me as I’m still in the photo pit is ‘Silver’ from 2020’s ‘The Glow’ – it’s so gorgeously anthemic. What a cool time in the set to be up at the front and feel the vibes. Magical!
The set comprises of 5 singles from the latest album ‘How Many Dreams?’ and the rest are from their previous 3 albums, including debut single ‘Delete’ from 2016’s ‘Hills End’.
Thrown in, because it’s become a live favourite and there’s no way they can leave it out, is the glorious cover of Cher’s ‘Believe’, which is all thanks to Triple J’s Like a Version, the track being voted at number 6 on Triple J’s Hottest 100 list in 2016, with the video having received over 10.3 million views on YouTube.
Johnny Took continues to wow the crowd, whilst lead guitarist Matthew Mason and singer Tommy O’Dell prefer to keep it all about the music throughout. The band have some extra musicians as their touring band, and this helps make the sound wonderfully lush and polished. They really do sound amazing. It’s a quality show and it should serve to remind fans to keep supporting the band.
‘In The Air’ is a beautiful way to come back for the encore, followed by ‘Lay Down’ a cracking track from the debut album. It all ends with ‘Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s the Weekend’ from the latest album as we get a warm thank you for coming along, the response is equally as warm. I get the feeling Aussie fans are really proud of DMA’S and what they’ve achieved in the last decade. I can now say that I am one of those fans.
