DMA’s had been longing to perform in Scotland and the UK again as their dates kept on being altered due to Covid restrictions.
Johnny Took, Tommy O’Dell and Matt Mason took to the stage at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange on 18 October to perform one of two dates.
The trio were originally supposed to headline Edinburgh Summer Sessions in 2020 but this was cancelled and replaced with this.
Their return to Scotland was full of their new material, some of which fans had never heard live before.
The atmosphere was electric before the three had even taken to the stage.
Scottish crowds already have a huge reputation as it is, however, this has definitely been amplified by everyone being deprived of live music for so long.
The place was packed and from the moment they came on and went straight into ‘Never Before’ and ‘The Glow’ (both new tracks from the third album ‘The Glow’), everyone was buzzing.
Red lights seemed to be a common theme throughout the set but this occasionally changed up depending on the mood of the song.
The red and yellow lights throughout ‘Dawning’ particularly during the instrumentals were superb. Took and Mason were playing their acoustic and bass alongside the rest of the band.
In the Moment followed (from debut album ‘Hills End’) before ‘Silver’, which as usual, was just unreal.
‘Silver’ is a DMA’s fan favourite and one in which shows how powerful O’Dell’s vocals really are.
The room got darker and the song really brought the whole crowd together. People were on shoulders and chanting the lyrics out with such passion.
The spotlights over Mason, O’Dell and Took added to this togetherness as everyone sang alongside O’Dell.
‘Life Is a Game of Changing’ and ‘Criminals’ were received really well by the crowd and were performed as though they had been playing them for years. The new tracks were all really enjoyable.
‘Emily Whyte’ (from second album ‘For Now’) is just one of those songs that every DMA’s fan likes.
‘We Are Midnight’ was performed from their latest EP ‘I Love You Unconditionally, Sure Am Going to Miss You’, as was ‘Junk Truck Head Fuck’. This was very intimate and gave so much for O’Dell’s vocals.
‘Tape Deck Sick’ got the whole room dancing and having a good time.
This went into ‘In the Air’ which is another ballad (like ‘Silver’) as they are songs that everyone cherish.
The blue and white cold lights again created an intimate moment and everyone again sang each word with O’Dell.
‘Hello Girlfriend’ took everyone from swaying and chanting to boogying once more.
Popular tracks ‘Delete’ and ‘Play It Out’ were performed to the best standard as always.
‘Delete’ probably received the loudest reception of the night as expected. This is the song that introduced many fans to the band as their debut single.
The encore began with ‘Appointment’ then ‘Lay Down’.
The final song of the night was ‘Feels Like 37’. Took interacted with the fans during this and just looked so happy to be there.
The gig went in rather fast but usually when this is the case it is because it was a top performance, which it was.
It was not obvious at all that the band had had time out as they just took to the stage so professionally.
There was not a lot of interaction with the fans between songs which only encouraged better praise for each. It also meant everyone was ready for the next song and up for it.
Everyone was out in full voice from start to finish.
During their break before the encore, the crowd started to sing the ‘John McGinn song’ in full volume.
Whilst this may have confused the Australians, it certainly meant that the atmosphere was maintained for them returning back on stage and getting straight back into it.
The three were very calm and cool in leaving the stage for the final time.
Featured image credit – DMA’s on Instagram
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