Yes, we saw the crowds in Brixton, Leeds and so on, and they were also box office, no doubt – and we’re sure there’s plenty of bias coming in here – but DMA’s final night in Manchester was just magnificent on every level.
Still managing to bring a real Friday feeling even though it was a Sunday night following the protracted Valentine’s celebrations, when most were already dreading the inevitable Monday blues (morning, all), it felt like the perfect way to close out a weekend with everyone’s first love: music.
During a period when we’re all encouraged to be a little bit more sincere and spread pure positivity, seeing the sea of happy, smiling faces watching DMA’s on night two at the O2 Victoria Warehouse was just the injection we needed.
For starters, you can’t ask for much more than getting to hear not only Hills End from start to finish but ‘Lay Down’ live twice in one night. The limbs were just as mad the second time around, if not even more.
To quote a fan speaking in the comments under this video, for some, it was beyond good: “The best gig I’ve been to in my 45 years on this planet”, apparently.
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Quite the bold statement, and while we’re not sure we’re quite ready to be so superlative just yet, hearing them play their debut album from cover to cover on its 10th anniversary did make for a perfect set and an “unreal night” as we’ve heard and seen so many remark in the hours since the gig.
One person wrote, “If the next album is good, these will be absolutely huge”, while another declared that they’re “the greatest on Earth” already.
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Whatever point on the scale you land on, pretty much everyone almost universally agrees that their first record is still their best, even with all the bangers they’ve put out since.
One of the best moments of the entire nostalgia trip was when they bookended the show with ‘Timeless’ and played their usual extended outro with multiple repetitions of the chorus and a proper breakout, letting their instruments do the talking in a fast, frenetic flurry as the crowd thrashed around.
DMAs never let you down when it comes to a performance, and neither do Manc crowds.
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One of those where you saw way more arms in the air than phones. (Credit: Audio North)
And maybe that’s just it, as far as bands that come to this region and do well, the Sydney trio are one of the VERY best, vouched for by pretty much every mate and regular gig-goer whose opinion you trust implicitly; you can certainly add us onto that list.
Maybe it’s somehow to do with some of those Melbourne roots, too, as we’ve often heard the parallels drawn between the two cities, and they even asked if there was anyone in from ‘Melbs’ between songs – there was a notable cheer – or maybe it’s just some kind of uncalculable magic we can’t understand.
Either way, besides the ongoing rise of Aussie rock and Anzac bands doing very well around the UK in general, there is something very special about this particular indie outfit’s connection with the North West and Manchester, specifically.
Johnny, Tommy and Matt have all themselves cited it as a ‘second home’ throughout their career, having hit the ground running and finding a cult following here right from the off.
In fact, they admitted that the full touring band still regularly flies into Manchester first whenever they’re heading to the UK. Love that.
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‘Olympia’ and ‘Silver’ were also big standouts beyond the Hills End part of the setlist. (Credit: The Manc)
Perhaps labelling them part of the ‘Britpop revival’ is a bit reductive, but it certainly hasn’t done them any harm thus far, and conversely, it’s definitely done them plenty of favours here in Greater Manchester.
They’re not just adopted Brits who understand our history as a nation of audiophiles; they get our crowds and this city’s culture down to a tee.
Put simply, either through blind luck or divine intervention from the music gods, DMA’s are Mancs by proxy, and whether or not that means anything to them, it sure as sh*t means a whole lot to us.
Here’s to HE10, and we can’t wait for the next celebration in whatever form it comes.
DMA’S announce latest UK and Ireland tour, including a pair of Manchester dates
Danny Jones
Aussie trio and adopted Mancs, DMA’S, have officially announced a brand-new headline tour across Great Britain and Ireland, confirming not one but two nights here in Manchester.
We’re also the only city getting double dates, because they clearly love us as much as we love them.
The Sydney-formed indie and alt-rock favourites have always had plenty of success in this part of the world, and with DMA’S getting ready to release a new self-titled studio album – their fifth up to this point – they’re obviously getting ready to tour it.
Having just dropped the latest single from it entitled ‘Hurracane’ (they spell things however they want, as we know), they have now revealed a full list of UK and IE live dates.
OUR NEW SONG HURRACANE IS OUT NOW & WE’VE ANNOUNCED OUR UK / IRELAND ALBUM TOUR.
PRE-ORDER OUR NEW ALBUM ‘DMA’S’ FROM OUR OFFICIAL BAND STORE FOR FIRST ACCESS TO TICKETS. https://t.co/XtL79B8ruY
Speaking on the fresh track, lead guitarist and secondary vocalistMatt Masonsaid in a press release: “Hurracane has a recurrent musical motion that’s a nod to the song lyrically, and we used the idea of a displacing storm to tell the story, leading into a style that we hadn’t recorded ourselves before.”
Meanwhile, the latest LP is set to drop this August; we’ve already heard the lead single in ‘My Baby’s Place’ and the second song, ‘Heatin Park’, all of which have gone down well with fans.
The early reviews of this third track and accompanying music video also look to be largely positive, with the almost folky mandolin riffs showing a different kind of approach from the group.
As for their upcoming tour dates, besides a pair of Manchester gigs, they’ll also be playing the likes of the Olympia in Liverpool, Sheffield’s Octagon Centre, and the Barbican in York, just to name a few.
Their popularity up here in the North was only further proved by how many people came along to NBHD Weeekender 2026 (review HERE) seemingly just for them.
For those looking to grab tickets, you can obviously secure early access by pre-ordering their album and signing yourself up for the band’s mailing list.
General admission to see DMA’s in Manchester on Friday, 5 and Saturday, 6 February 2027, as well as all other domestic tour dates, will be available from 10am on 12 June, 2026; you can get ready to grab your tickets right HERE.
Morrissey confirms his new album has already been written and reveals recording details
Danny Jones
Morrissey has confirmed that the next project set to succeed his still relatively new album, Make-up Is a Lie, has already been written.
He’s also disclosed when and where it will be recorded in a post on his own personal website.
The hailed Manc songwriter and former The Smiths frontman only dropped his recent release earlier this year, but it looks like the follow-up is already on the way.
Lyrically, Morrissey states, the album is basically done – now it’s just a case of putting it down on tape, with the Davyhulme-born artist scheduled to get back in the studio early next year.
In the post announcing a special 12-inch Notre-DameDeluxe EP – set to drop later this month – the 67-year-old spoke at length about the ‘lemonade’ yellow vinyl, which will no doubt become a collector’s item among his most dedicated die-hards.
More of a full-length listen, in truth, featuring tracks that ultimately didn’t make the cut for his last record, Make-Up Is a Lie, he says it “should be played unendurably loud.”
After thanking all his ever-passionate fans for buying his 14th solo studio album, he went on to add: “A certain injustice was rectified. The follow-up album has been written, and will be recorded in January in our beloved France. It already sounds like a winner…
“Happy ending never in doubt! … or … was it?”
Glean from that whatever you can, all we know is that it’s sparked plenty of interest on the forums, message boards and social media fan accounts already.
Earlier this year, we also found out that an ongoing feud between ‘Moz’ and his old bandmate Johnny Marr also meant that we were denied a special anniversary re-issue.
Let’s just say that with little love lost between the two and yet another LP apparently in the works already, you likely won’t be seeing any remasters any time soon, let alone the once-rumoured reunion.
After all, it took the Gallaghers more than 15 years to kiss, and these two seem to be still disputing over various matters after the best of four decades.
Meanwhile, Morrissey is already gearing up for a fresh run of tour domestic dates (insomnia permitting) later this year.
But, most notably, he’s chosen to skip out on one key location…
Mozza fans when they found out he's only coming to five UK cities on his tour later this year:
Danny Jones -
16th February 2026 
