Don Broco have come a long way since first seeing them at a tiny but fully packed and even sweatier tent at Reading festival in 2012. Different album eras come and gone, they adapted in a way that remains authentic. One thing hasn’t changed in all these years though: the mental energy witnessed at each of their live shows. We’ve seen a couple of those in various circumstances during the past 15 months – headlining a sold out 10,000 standing only capacity, Alexandra Palace being the fifth (not that we count) and biggest ever.
The well-known support acts within the scene made the experience even more exciting. The task of being the first on stage is not the easiest but Counterfeit owned the crowd, commanding the greatest circle pit ever seen so early in the night. The success of it partially goes to venue organizers. Most of the early arrivals were already inside when the band started. No queues outside means bigger exposure to whoever is playing first.
State Champs took Don Broco on their own US headliner tour recently, and it was great to see this friendship flourish further with the support coming from them this time. The performance was everything you can expect from a pop-punk band – catchy choruses, resurfaced memories of teenage angst and all that, with the biggest hits standing out from a genre that is also a bit repetitive in its sound.
Staying true to themselves Don Broco made an explosive entrance on “Technology,” not shying away to show off the impressive, triangle shaped stage production either. Thinking this was a casual but slightly bigger Broco gig, the acoustic revision of “Whole Truth” came as a pleasant surprise. They are not known for doing such things and it fit for a special occasion like this. The song “Further” is slightly underrated next to all the groovy tracks and hardcore party mood but it sure is the most emotionally filled and connected moment of any show they play. The heck, even Ryan Scott Graham of State Champs came out on stage for it, because it’s his favourite song! That chorus and music production comes through so huge, it easily takes over from fan favourites like “Priorities” or “Everybody”– and those are super intense when experienced live.
No biggest headlining show in history would be complete without a proposal on stage. It certainly set the mood for the encore of “Pretty” (its music video is zombie killer/wedding themed) and allowed time for Don Broco to go from short shorts and Antonio Banderas fan shirts to all white suits. And that’s how you end the so far most important night of your life in style!
From ‘Thug Workout’ 8 days a week to sold out Ally Pally…anything is possible, guys! Even as fans, this milestone is a super proud moment and with the new Don Broco album Technology coming in a matter of weeks, we cannot wait to see where the journey takes them.
