At The Dakota

At the Dakota – ADELAIDE

Darwin band At the Dakota are in Adelaide this Saturday night with their debut EP, Stories. The indie pop act have been taking their material to venues in QLD and Melbourne recently, with SA being the next stop on their national tour. Already, the band has enjoyed great attendances at the gigs so far on this tour and for their first show ever in Adelaide, we expect a good crew hitting the Hotel Metro for these guys. Supporting At the Dakota at the Metro is Mackenzie and The Brothers Grimm. You can grab tickets via www.atthedakotaband.com or on the door ($10).

Show Details: Saturday, October 17th @ Hotel Metro, Adelaide - The AU Review

Darwin's At the Dakota may be the new kids on the block at the moment, but individually, these musicians have years of experience between them. Coming together from a number of NT acts who have been cutting their teeth on the local circuit in a few different genres over the years, At the Dakota are now on that indie groove tip and already have a rousing level of support behind them. As they look ahead to a special single launch at Darwin's Happy Yess next month, we get to know At the Dakota a little more and find out what they're all about. - The AU Review

Interview with ABC Radio's Lisa Pellegrino, with live track of 'Chasing Elephants'. - ABC Radio

This is the extended interview from the stort featured in the December/January Off The Leash magazine. - Off The Leash Magazine

Darwin's At the Dakota may be the new kids on the block at the moment, but individually, these musicians have years of experience between them. Coming together from a number of NT acts who have been cutting their teeth on the local circuit in a few different genres over the years, At the Dakota are now on that indie groove tip and already have a rousing level of support behind them. As they look ahead to a special single launch at Darwin's Happy Yess next month, we get to know At the Dakota a little more and find out what they're all about.

See the link for the whole interview. - The AU Review

The five-piece outfit embodies the Jukebox promise to the fullest. This indie group is producing exceptional quality music and we fully expect the rest of the EP to be equally as outstanding.
Upon the broadcast of the show, At the Dakota was one of the most well-received acts on the show. Here at the Jukebox, we're hoping to be one of the catalysts to get these guys heard stateside.
So, if you're a US listener, go snap up that free download! It's a track very much worth adding to your summer playlists this season. - Brett Stewart (USA)

Darwin's At The Dakota may have only been gigging together since last year but in their debut EP Stories, they've demonstrated some serious potential. It's hard to separate Darwin and music bred in the Territory from feelings of isolation and detachment from the rest of the national music scene sometimes, but it's been interesting to watch viewpoints change in recent times and more attention be paid to the talent that is (and always has) existing in the Top End. In a band like At The Dakota, there are musicians who have performed either under their own solo names, or in other successful bands for years now, and in their work together for this project, it's clear that with Stories comes a wide range of influences and experiences.
The EP is four tracks long and is a good introductory record to the band who've cited the likes of Kings of Leon and British India as some influences on their sound. Latest single "Stumptail" has been doing some good things in the online sphere recently, landing featured Spotify playlists and winning the People's Choice Award at the NT Song of the Year Awards recently and while it's definitely a wise single choice, I'd say it's in "Jonestown" that the listener will switch on to what this band has the potential to craft with future releases.
A striking change in pace and rhythm compared to other tracks, "Jonestown" marks depth, a great rhythmic development and while veering more down the roots path than some other tunes feature on Stories, it's not cheesy or lifted straight from the Jack Johnson guide to chill songs. Slightly reminiscent of early Sticky Fingers material, "Jonestown" is laidback without being lazy and that guitar work is just sweet to listen to. Dylan Podsiadly's raw vocals and work well with the pop/rock vibe At The Dakota are clearly channeling, but when the arrangements are slowed and he's given the chance to put the vocals on show, there's proof here he can do it.
Stories' other tunes in "Peach Hat" and "Stories" are catchy, but there is obvious room for improvement - the foundations have been well-laid, but vocals falter in some places and in others, it feels like the band have played it safe. Then again, I always feel like I should come away from a debut record of any sort having gotten a good snapshot of the artist and wanting more - two things Stories did deliver on.
Review Score: 7 out of 10. - The AU Review

...By the time At the Dakota took to the stage, MC for the night Danielle Andrews had riled the crowd up enough to put the pool cues down, quickly refuel at the bar and gather around the stage enthusiastically. Having listened to their EP Stories over the past few weeks, I had an idea in my head as to how the live show would go down and I was surprised at how some elements rang true and others were strikingly different. The first notable thing about this band is their development as a live unit; given that there's been a year in between the recording of the EP and now, the sounds are tighter, the vocals are stronger and there's a lot more confidence I could instantly glean from At the Dakota, just by watching them switch into full gear.
I'd commented before that vocalist Dylan Podsiadly's voice had some great potential, but needed work - tonight, I could tell that he's improved in this area and it works well with the pop-rock aspects of their repertoire. You could argue that more refinement could be needed, but the band works well when they're letting loose a little and the rawness that comes through with each strain when Podsiadly lets go is really good to watch. The band held the attention of the crowd well throughout the show and although you could tell they were humbled by the positive response, they didn't let it affect them in delivering a fun show. - The AU Review