Live Review: DMA'S, Green Buzzard, Ray Borner

There is method to Ray Borner’s madness. His perfectly feelgood DJ set includes a smattering of happy, dancey tracks from the likes of Tame Impala and Talking Heads, alongside classics from The Strokes, The Rapture and The Smashing Pumpkins. We can feel him coaxing our ids back towards the rocking '90s; priming us for the excellent post-Britpop reconstruction that is DMA’S.

First there’s a welcome detour via 1970s-inflected psych-rock courtesy Sydney’s Green Buzzard. Like tonight’s headliners they ply their trade with equal doses of professionalism and bravado. And like DMA’S they excel by doing the basics well; strong melodies, infectious guitar licks, a cacophonous and well-drilled rhythm contingent, likeable pop hooks that occasionally devolve into a din of feedback. Singer Paddy Harrowsmith sums it up: “We’re just two rock bands rocking out.”

Speaking of rocking out, DMA’S launch into full-tilt rocker Timeless before we’ve barely registered that they’ve arrived on stage. The core three-piece of Matt Mason, Tommy O'Dell and Johnny Took has been expanded to a six-man live line-up, finding strength (and volume) in numbers. Too Soon gets us jumping in time to the barrage of blue lights. The acoustic guitar-led Straight Dimensions is an unlikely candidate for crowdsurfing, and the fact that it elicits just that is testament to how exciting DMA’S really are. The unmistakable lick and explosion of red lights that announces Feels Like 37 sets off a veritable frenzy.

DMA’S charisma is undeniable and understated. They go about their business in workmanlike fashion, and the banter is minimal and routine: “Thanks for having us,” O’Dell says. We are captivated nonetheless. “This song's called …” O’Dell begins, but the title is lost in a torrent of screams. Somehow we already know it’s So We Know, and we sing along so loudly that O’Dell is almost drowned out; in a set that favours the rowdier tracks from this year’s debut album Hills End, this acoustic ballad is a welcome change of pace.

By now the levels of love in the room are almost palpable. Mega-popular single Delete is predictably well-received (and you get the sense that DMA’S still genuinely enjoys playing it), but older song Laced goes down just as well. The unassuming Play It Out seems like an unusual choice to close such a hard-rocking set, but its extended instrumental coda slowly builds to a level of intensity that is almost suffocating, and leaves us panting for an encore. Sadly we don’t get one.