Sydney formed DMA’s’ ‘Live at Brixton‘ album is scheduled for release almost exactly a year after it was recorded at the venue on March the 6th 2020; and what a difference a year makes. For many people and indeed the iconic venue itself, it was one of the final music events that took place before we embarked upon lockdown life, giving the album a reminiscent feel to an extraordinary degree.
The seventeen track album couldn’t be coming at a better time, reminding us of the power of live music and offering up this bittersweet memory. It is tiding us over in the interim before we are able to come together again. It is a visual album as much as an audible one: allowing us to envision what life will be like when we can once again indulge in the magic of real live shows with our favourite bands. This release is the band’s fifth album and their second live album. It follows the success of their MTV Unplugged released in 2019.
The band usually consist of three members: Tommy O’Dell, Johnny Took and Matt Mason. The group expanded into a sextet to pack the punch you can hear throughout the album, delivering the added force of a touring band.
DMA’s burst through with ‘Feels like 37‘ and the listener is thrust straight into the album. The fantastic, frenzied welcome from the crowd ignites your imagination, making you feel like you were present during the recording. This momentum is continued with ‘Dawning.’ A relatively long instrumental allows the listener to vibe with the band until the stripped-down bridge, before the final chorus. In this track, we get our first glimpses of the stripped-back melodic capabilities of the band, a testament to what is yet to come. With an earthier sound than the two previous songs, ‘Too Soon‘ packs slightly less of a punch but satisfies in carrying the album forwards. DMA’s manage to sustain the electric feel through to ‘Hello Girlfriend,’ and by now the album has a firm footing, enticing you to listen on; the inference being the best is still to come.
What a beautiful song ‘Silver‘ is. A wise choice as their second single and feels like a breath of fresh air well needed at this point in the album. This is the first time we truly get to hear Tommy O’Dell’s tone, and although momentum is picked up after the first chorus, his voice carries as beautifully melodic throughout. The pitch change for the second chorus is borderline heart-breaking and exposes the full capacity of O’Dell’s vocal range. This song feels life-affirming, and is clearly the dominating highlight of the album thus far.
‘Time and Money‘ is more stripped back live than in the original, but hits the perfect balance between melodic and powerful. ‘The Glow‘ is introduced next, from their then-new album. Listening from a perspective now of having heard the album in 2020, this adds to the reminiscent feel. ‘The End‘ is continued in much the same manner, accompanied by a chorus of singing audience members, which adds an extra layer to an already great song. ‘Step up the Morphine‘ is a slightly disappointing moment on the release. The arrangement and extension into a sextet for the first time seems unnecessary, and the arrangement feels almost crowded. As the song continues, the final verse where the audience shouts out the last few lyrics to a lone guitar is when we get a glimpse of the version I would’ve like to have heard, the whole way through.
Now for some reason, in every one of their performances, their debut 2014 single ‘Delete‘ always seems to be the highlight. Predominantly performed just with an acoustic guitar, the only rowdy accompaniment for this song is the crowd, who can be heard singing out every last lyric. This version is how this song was supposed to be heard and is undoubtedly the highlight of this album.
‘Life is a Game of Changing‘ is a good atmospheric bridge to the final six songs. ‘In the Air‘ once again showcases O’Dell’s voice, as he gives one of his most vocal performances of the album. Again here, less is more.
Followed by ‘Tape Deck Sick,’ ‘Play it Out‘ and ‘Timeless,’ the album continues with the classic DMA’s sound. Although, it showcases their extension into a sextet to full capacity, elevating their songs.
‘Lay Down‘ is the penultimate song of the album, and was rightfully chosen as their first single. Packing more of a punch than the original, this is the second-best song off of this album. Its placement forces the listen to remember how much they enjoyed everything they have just heard. Similarly to ‘Delete,’ this track was meant to be listened to live.
After listening to ‘Your Low,’ the final song of the album, you really do have that post-gig glow. This album allows us to expend all that pent up energy we have from a lack of live musical experiences, something we are all desperate to have back in our lives.
