DMA’S ARE NOTHING BUT TIMELESS IN LEEDS
LIVE REVIEW | DMA’S | THE WARDROBE, LEEDS | 29th August 2026
On a super soaker bank holiday weekend, it felt much more fitting to take cover in the best venue in Leeds, with a band that feels like a warm hug. Australian trio DMA’s reminded everyone in The Wardrobe of not only their love for the band, but their love for one another.
Walking on with the most casual nonchalance, to be defeated very quickly, Matt Mason and Johnny Took grab their weapons of choice. Took in ordinary fashion and Mason lap style, creating such depth with little material. Lead singer Tommy O’Dell enters shortly after, propping himself down on the stool, engrossing himself in the rhythm before he adds to the mix.
Opening track ‘Killing Time’ is met with such a warm reception, it’s difficult to comprehend that the songs off the latest self-titled record are new. It’s the same kind of immediate love that fan-favourites get, there’s not a flat moment in sight. DMA’s do attract that indie hooligan crowd that will belt every word with both arms spread wide, and a tone that is only achieved five pints in. However, this shouldn’t be misconstrued for lack of skill. O’Dell’s vocals are some of the most distinctive in the scene, blending angelic with passionate. Moreover, Took and Mason’s six string harmonies conjure up serene melodies that still hook you.
‘Silver’ rears its head somewhere at half-time, its anthemic outro had everyone in the crowd latching onto the shoulders of their peers. Acoustic sets can sometimes act limp, particularly when they’re these in-promotion, 45-minute album launch shows that are almost mandatory nowadays, but you cannot rope DMA’s into that statement. The love and loyalty for the band felt stronger than ever with an electric atmosphere in such an intimate setting.
‘My Baby’s Place’ and ‘Hurracane’ wedged themselves into the new set like they’d always been there. The tracks feel so distinctively DMA’s that they unarguably grip the pipes of the crowd into a sing-a-long frenzy. It’s shows like this that prove defining moments for bands, intimate settings that feel huge. It doesn’t need large crowds and big name festivals to certify a bands credibility, it needs loyal fans that know the real story.
The loyal fans are what keeps set-closing tracks like ‘Feels Like 37’ oozing with energy. The once charismatic and pure acoustic set closed with the same kind of lung-bursting energy that a full band production would have.
DMA’s undoubtedly reassured any casual fans that there’s nothing casual about their shows. They’re a place of unity, a loss of inhibitions and paving that they’ve truly made their mark on the scene.
Need further approval? Read Morgan’s review of their latest record here.
