The live format of DMA’S is sounding better than it ever sounded – Aussie sensation takes the world by storm.

Brighton’s The Great Escape festival brings out the best in new music. This is why it gathers a lot of newcomers. What’s more, not only you can spot many upcoming bands who are excited to play there for the very first time, but also many bands who are happy to return as the years pass by. But in short, a lot of “new” and a lot of “first”.

DMA’S are one of those bands who have experienced the madness of The Great Escape in the past. Now, sitting in the hotel lounge, I am being joined by Johnny Took, one of the songwriters of the Australian group, where we reminisce about the last edition of the festival as the memories come flooding back.

It was really cool, one of our first gigs in the UK – says Johnny Took. We played really well, at the Corn Exchange on NME stage, except I remember being infuriated at the sound guy because he managed to erase all the settings from our soundcheck. We couldn’t hear a thing that we were doing on stage but apparently it sounded good in the front.

There is a lot of expectations and excitement about tonight too. Hopefully, they’ll get a better sound guy though.

Tonight is going to be great! We’re playing with Jagwar Ma and actually, Gabriel (Winterfield – lead vocalist/guitarist) and I were in one of our first bands together. We’re friends from back home. 

Hailing from Sydney, Johnny Took, Matt Mason and Tommy O’Dell came together around 2012 and it didn’t take long till their anthemic sound was spread across the world. First, debut single Delete and then self-titled EP released in March 2014, both meeting critical acclaim.

Their gripping melodies, rich in upbeat and infectious rhythms, throw back the 90s classics with a vibe of pure freshness. Having mentioned that, many people stated that it took 20 years for Britpop to reach Australia, what is not a bad thing as there’s still plenty new to offer. The band’s developed tonality with lyrical depth and O’Dell’s raw but riveting vocals translate utterly into the live form.

A few years later, Johnny looks back at the path the band have chosen to follow, as well as the changes which have shaped DMA’S they are today.

The live format, which is six of us, is sounding better than it ever sounded

I believe when you’re in a band and your band first starts off you can only reach certainty. I asked my manager the other day, we’ve done 48 gigs in the last 3 months. I guessed 45. There are these tiny increments, you get better when playing five shows a week. There is no other way of band evolving like that and I’m pretty impressed with all the members of the band. It’s quite new for us and it can be stressful sometimes but the live format, which is six of us, is sounding better than it ever sounded. And we wouldn’t have been able to reach that unless we had played that amount of gigs.

On their full-length record you can find a lot of stand-outs, such as The Switch, Step up the Morphine, Blown Away – even if I’m naming just my personal favourites – and obviously Delete. But which ones are the band’s favourite to play live?

For me probably “Play It Out” which is the last song on the album and at the moment we’re playing it last in the set. It was one of the first songs we released and it’s a real wall of sounds. Actually, it’s not on “Hills End” but I really like “Feels Like 37” – it’s really old school DMA’S. There are some songs on the album that we’re not doing live yet but I’m looking forward to it. You know, we’re still such a young band. 

Six lads in a band. Well, that’s a lot of testosterone. Any fights?

There’s always gonna be that when you’re travelling. We’re a six-piece band – that’s a lot of dudes. But I think, the most important thing is that when you feel that frustration coming on, for any particular reason, you understand it’s not actually the other person but you’re probably just tired. There’s so many little things. Sometimes it takes a couple of hours, sometimes just five minutes, and then you feel kind of stupid for even thinking so. Now we understand that the frustration is gonna pass. But we’re really good friends. We’ve always been close friends. I feel that the dynamic between the members now, I don’t want to say is the best, but we get along the best.

DMA’S debut album Hills End came out big in February this year. Since then the avalanche of thrilling and rousing shows has continued. From playing a sold out London show to embarking on a worldwide tour, including Coachella, SXSW and of course The Great Escape with rapidly growing fan base, these guys are definitely ones not to be missed.

What would land on the wall of the best things that have happened so far then?

The first time we played Splendour in the Grass, it’s a famous festival in Australia, and also, that was just two days after the album came out when we played The Garage in London. I remember when we saw it and I thought: A – that was a much bigger venue that I’d thought we’d be playing at that time in our carrier, and B – the album had been out for just a couple of days so to see people singing lyrics of songs that weren’t singles that was really cool. Such a special moment. To be able to do that, that was a great start for us in the UK.

Having said that, Johnny discusses diversity and contrasts between the crowds in different parts of the world.

Probably crowds in the UK are my favourite to play in front of. Especially in Scotland and England are the craziest because they’ve got a little bit of that football mentality which is cool. American crowds seem to be a lot tamer.

Well, that’s a first I suppose. We talk some more about life choices, eventual prospects and odds.

I really didn’t know what I would be doing when I finished high school. I got terrible marks, I skipped too much class and my results suffered because of it. I don’t know, if it wasn’t for music maybe I’d be doing architecture or something like that. Or psychology! I hang out with enough psychos so I’d be good at that.

Psychos or not, the near future looks rather promising for DMA’S.

This is our last show of the European tour. Then we’ll be shooting a music video in London – it’s our first video clip we’ve done internationally which is exciting. After that we’ll go back to Sydney, have my birthday..  When asked about any special plans I hear: Yeah, I’m just gonna go to an Australian pub and see all my friends who aren’t in the band and just sit there in the corner and probably not move for a while. Two days straight after that we go to our Australian tour which I am really excited about because we’ll playing Metro Theatre which I’ve always wanted to play. I think we played more shows in London last year than we did in Sydney so it’s time to go back and play to our friends now. Just so they can see the growth of the band and so we can see the reception in Australia since the album has been released.

Debut album Hills End is out now via Infectious Records and you can listen to the latest single Timeless below.

Alongside numerous UK festivals this summer, DMA’S will be returning to the UK for a headline October Tour and you should really go and see them.

Photo: Kasia Osowiecka