Photo: Fraser Kerr

Live Review: Don Broco – Amazing Things Tour 2023 – Alexandra Palace, London

From headlining Slam Dunk to selling out Alexandra Palace, Don Broco is quickly becoming one of the biggest names in the alternative music scene. Bringing Dance Gavin Dance and Papa Roach along for the ride, this show promises to be one of the band’s most energetic to date! Here’s what went down when Don Broco took over Alexandra Palace!

Dance Gavin Dance took to the stage to a partially full Alexandra Palace. Their first song ‘Chucky Vs The Giant Tortoise’ suffered heavily from levelling issues however their sound team did a good job of correcting these before the second track ‘Synergy’, Despite the sound improvement, the London Crowd seemed disinterested in the Californian outfit. Lacklustre reactions matched with just an overall lack of enthusiasm isn’t how anyone wanted the final night in the UK to start however that’s what we got. The band themselves provided quite a bit of emotion in their set however, even on their part there was a real lack of charisma.

Photo: Fraser Kerr

By the time Papa Roach took to the stage, the venue was nearing capacity. Opening with ‘Kill The Noise’ didn’t revive the loudest reaction however this quickly changed as the band launched head first into ‘Getting Away With Murder’. The old-school classic garnered a high reaction with the first real sing-along of the night. This set was full to the brim with crowd participation. From an entire room screaming, ‘I think I need help’ to the entire venue bouncing to a nu-metal rendition of The Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’ which was dedicated to the late Keith Flint, Papa Roach brought all the energy that Dance Gavin Dance lacked.

A mix of covers and original songs captivated the crowd. Snippets of ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ during ‘To Be Loved…’ and ‘Bulls On Parade’ at the end of ‘None Of The Above’ garnered crazy energy while they adapted the first verse of ‘Infest’ into a cover of ‘Still Dre’ before unleashing ‘Between Angles And Insects’ upon the London masses. You may have easily forgotten that Papa Roach was a support band as they were on the verge of stealing the show!

As the light lowered, the energy was raised to an all-time high. Cheers from the crowd ear-piercing and Don Broco took to the stage to the sound of static before launching into ‘Bruce Willis’. Singer Rob Damiani warned the crowd “when this riff drops, I want to see you go fucking nuts” and unsurprisingly the London masses complied. The atmosphere in the room was electric as the band charged straight into ‘Gumshield’. Fans echoing the band throughout the entire song was something to behold. Unfortunately, the band had to stop momentarily to talk with security due to a crowd surge. Once the band were able to resume they instantly demanded a circle pit to finish off the song.

‘Technology’ saw the rowdy crowd bouncing and vibing along to its automated beat while ‘Uber’ brought a more heavy attitude to Alexandra Palace. This was followed by a massive sing-along to ‘Come Out To LA’ where the London crowd were basically a free choir for the band. This energy would carry over into ‘One True Prince’, a more lyrically driven track that has sat deep in the hearts of fans ever since its release. You could see the emotion behind this one in the faces of those in attendance as they recited the song back to the band.

‘Pretty’ brought out the band’s inner frat boy with its cheesy ass feel and pretty direct lyrics. This song featured the band’s self-proclaimed “biggest” Mosh pit of their career as singer Rob encouraged Ally Pally to open the pit as wide as physically possible.

Photo: Fraser Kerr

Despite being in London the band went with playing ‘Manchester Super Reds No. 1 Fan’ and even brought out Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix which received an ungodly reaction. Mr Shaddix would stay on to lend his vocals to the beginning of ‘Thug Workout’ before reviving a gigantic round of applause from the Broco family. One verse was enough to get the point across so the band moved swiftly onto the jazzy styles of ‘Automatic’ to bring out London dancing shoes and it worked a treat. Giving the band a chance to do their own “Jump the F**k up” moment which went moderately well with how cramped the venue felt.

‘What You Do To Me’ brought out a more sappy side of the London crowd as they poured their hearts out into this emotionally driven track. Bringing the show back to the rock side of things was ‘Action’. The grungy-styled beat brought life back into the mosh pit crew while the swift transitions between peace and panic regained any wayward-looking eyes. Keeping the energy high was the main priority of ‘priorities’ while ‘Endorphins’ mixed heavy with subtle to please every kind of fan.

Bringing the speed down a touch was ‘Anaheim’, the more vocal-focused track that served as a great opportunity for those dancing their life away to regain their breath as well as practice their softer vocal capabilities. This peace wouldn’t last for long however as the band quickly launched into ‘Everybody’ which sent a shockwave around the entire venue. From the front to the back, the room was grooving along to the track’s funky beat giving off nothing but great vibes.

It can be hard to top a fan favourite however Don Broco brought out their best reinforcements with a climatic duo of the energetic ‘Superlove’, which kept London in a dancing mood, and the highly emotional ‘Nerve’ to close out the main portion of the set. The action wasn’t over yet though as the band retook to the stage with ‘Fingernails’ which sent the crowd into a frenzy one last time before the band said farewell with ‘T-Shirt Song’. The visual of 10,000 t-shirts swinging above the Broco family’s heads was something spectacular and is something I won’t soon forget.

Despite a slow start to proceedings, the night was a great success for Don Broco. Their fans left with a smile that stretched their entire face and the band looked visibly blown away by the sheer reception they received from their adoring fans. They have big things ahead of them if they are able to keep their performances to this high a calibre.

Photo: Fraser Kerr