Live Review: DMA's - Guild Of Students, Liverpool 09/12/2023
DMA’s stunned a sold-out Liverpool crowd with a set-list brimming with the band’s latest and greatest songs.
After the Australian group took the UK by storm on their album tour in the early months of the year, fans hoped that they wouldn’t have to wait too long to catch the incredible live act again. Their wish was granted by the group who, by all accounts, embrace the nation as their spiritual home, often saying that they owe a lot to the music lovers of England.
This time round, Liverpool was lucky enough to hold a live date. The University’s Mountford Hall would play host to three phenomenal acts across the evening, with DMA’s leading the line.
On what was an absurdly wet and windy day, music lovers of Liverpool would quickly fill the venue to take shelter from the conditions. The atmosphere steadily grew, with those in attendance seeming well and truly up for it.
Up first on the night was Mia Wray, a rising talent who took the stage by storm. Her presence and grip on the audience was undeniable. With a Holly Humberstone- like style, Mia Wray is destined for big things. The artist displayed some brilliant music, with one track ‘Tell Her’ being really salient amongst the set list. It was catchy, upbeat and displayed some expert vocals. Mia Wray made an incredible first impression if gig-goers were unaware of her beforehand.
Main support were local band STONE. The group are rapidly rising in popularity and need no introduction these days. They pumped out a fast-paced, energetic set that well and truly got the audience up for the rest of the night. Having smashed a sold-out show in Liverpool’s o2 Academy this year, their confidence and quality on the big stage was evident. Fans were treated to a mixture of tracks, from a brand-new number, to music from their recent EP, as well as some of their biggest hits like ‘Leave It Out’. It was incredible. What cannot be missed, either, is front-man Fin Power’s touching tribute to fellow Scouse musician Sean Martin of The Night Café, who is sadly no longer with us. Power expressed his admiration for the artist and the room applauded in unison.
STONE are well and truly on the rise, and they are reaching huge heights fast.
After two remarkable opening acts, it was time for the main event. DMA’s strutted out onto the stage, to be greeted by a roar of delight. The band kicked into the crowd-pleasing ‘Olympia’. The iconic guitar riff sent the room into a complete frenzy.
They seemed to be fully loaded with absolutely massive tracks. Straight from the opener, they flowed into ‘The Glow’ which has truly become on of the group’s anthems that fans empty their lungs to. Front-man Tommy O’Dell showed off his powers early on, displaying just how much of a showman he really is. He displayed an effortlessly perfect vocal performance, whilst getting the crowd well and truly on the band’s side (not that they needed much persuading).
Fans who have followed the group for some time were ecstatic when they heard some of the older tracks of the band. One of these was the beautiful ‘Emily Whyte’, which slowed the pace of the set down, and saw the crowd in its entirety singing along with every word. The room filled with white light of torches and stage lighting, and there was a pure connection between band and crowd.
Moments like these led guitarist Johnny Took to take to his microphone to express his love for Liverpool. “What a city” he exclaimed.
The set list incorporated the perfect blend of tracks new and old. Of course, most well-received was the ever-loved ‘Silver’. This one had fans almost taking the roof off the University hall with their vocal efforts.
Towards the closure of the evening, the group stated that they’d be away from England for a while post-tour, since they are set to write new music. Once again, they expressed their love of England and its crowds, stating that they owed a lot to the people who had continually supported them.
After the epic ‘Feels like 37’, the group left the stage for a moment, before returning for an encore. Within this, they played fan-favourite ‘Lay Down’, which featured the relentless outro of ‘Hello Girlfriend’. Each time the closure of the track came around, guitarist Matt Mason took to his mic to scream “Such a funny thing for me to try to explain”, before the rest of the band kicked in. Bedlam ensued, and the crowd loved it.
After a fair few renditions of this, the band closed out with a track from their recent record. ‘Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s the Weekend’ was as well received as ever, and fans savoured their final moments with the band for who knows how long.
DMA’s once again displayed why they’re so popular. They put on an epic show that had fans gripped from the get go.
Words by Matthew Caslin
