DAM

Post-hardcore Rockin' Rookies

This has been a weekend of little bands, in terms of member numbers, doing big things with their sound (see Rudimental’s 4-piece expanded hugely, or 2-man Royal Blood outperforming any larger band for full on sound), so I was pleasantly surprised when initially unassuming 3-piece DAM played at the Rookie stage and proved themselves to be much more than the sum of their parts.

Starting off with a sound that veered towards grunge and back out into hardcore, it was clear the band were airing their influences, but as the the show moved off into quieter and more lyrical mid-sections it became evident that what we were watching here was a band who had given a huge nod to post-hardcore heavyweights Envy. With screamo to quieter talking over the song, reverberating guitar and the quiet-heavy-quiet moments that didn’t stick to a traditionally defined song structure, here was a band that was taking post-hardcore, mixing it up with a bit of emo and running with it intensely.

For their final song, DAM’s vocalist leapt over the barrier, planted his mic in the middle of the crowd and belted out the final number as the bass and drums went berserk on stage. It was a memorable end to a short but punchy set; one which showed that DAM are well worth taking a second listen and have great potential to do much bigger things.