Alt rock heavyweights Don Broco made a name for themselves as some of the best live performers long ago, yet each tour they continue to outdo themselves. This year already saw them once again lean into a heavier sound, and this tour proves they are fully returning to those roots with an explosive live show to match.
The party started long before Don Broco took to the stage. The night’s lineup had the perfect balance, diverse yet still seamlessly cohesive. Florida’s Magnolia Park kicked off the night, and immediately had everybody moving, Brighton’s Yonaka followed with their unique, hard-hitting dark pop, and main support State Champs gave us the ultimate pop punk party, making the cold and miserable December day feel like a summer paradise. Don Broco’s set served as the perfect grand finale, their energy and passion remain unmatched. It’s the kind of show I wish I could watch a million times over, but even being able to say I got to witness it once has me feeling extremely lucky.
Magnolia Park stormed onto the stage with energy that almost felt too much for their early time slot. They launched right into fan favourite ‘Misfits’ followed by a trio of tracks from their latest album ‘VAMP’. The commanded the crowd with ease throughout the entire 30 minute set, asking everyone to clap along, jump, and even raise their middle fingers for a “Fuck Trump” chant at one point.
They asked for pits and the crowd delivered with easily the biggest pits I’ve ever seen an opener have, so much so that guitarist Freddie Criales wanted to get in on the fun and made his way into the crowd. As frontman Josh Roberts asked everyone to “split that shit down the middle” the crowd were ready for carnage, but instead he surprised them with “I wanna see everyone’s best dance moves in that split”. They then performed their cover of ‘I2I’ from Disney’s ‘A Goofy Movie’ complete with colourful lights to match the vibe. It was a moment of lighthearted fun and a welcome breather between the heavier metalcore tracks.
This break was short lived though as they closed the set out with ‘Animal’. The crushing riffs and brutal screams was the best way to go out with a bang. Magnolia Park may have been the first of 4 on tonight’s bill but they made it clear they didn’t come to play. They have come a long way since their UK debut back in 2022, I’m already eagerly awaiting their return in June for Download Festival.
Yonaka are a band I have actively been trying to see live for about 3 years now, and it became somewhat of a running joke that something seemed to get in the way every time and I clearly just wasn’t destined to see them. They were more than worth the wait, and watching them play in an arena was a great way to finally see them. I was captivated right from the start of ‘Predator’ all the way to the end of ‘Seize The Power’, I don’t think I took my eyes off the stage for a single second, and I didn’t want to! Frontwoman Theresa
Jarvis has such a powerful energy, she’s not only incredibly charismatic, but an absolute powerhouse vocally. It’s clear the whole band love every minute of being on that stage and are in their element, and you can’t help but love the show more as a result. The way they interact with each other as well as the crowd throughout makes the show all the more fun too. They effortlessly keep the crowd moving, maintaining energy that Magnolia Park got from the crowd, but still they wanted more as Theresa asks “Who’s gonna do it? Who gonna start the mosh pit? Don’t be shy” as multiple emerged she continued to command the crowd “Why don’t you just make this one big one, one massive circle?”.
As they took the time to address the crowd, Theresa spoke about their upcoming album ‘UNTIL YOU’RE SATISFIED’ and the three singles currently released. All three were on the setlist for the night and they went hard. The chorus of ‘Problem’ was easily a highlight and has been stuck in my head ever since. As the set began to come to a close I didn’t want it to end, half an hour just wasn’t enough for Yonaka. ‘Clique’ saw guitarist George Edwards take on vocals as well as Theresa since the song usually features Fever 333. The pair gave their all, screaming the words into each other’s faces, and you could hear a good portion of the crowd singing along too. The band’s catchiest track ‘Seize The Power’ brought the set to a close, with the final line “This power’s yours, take it” being the perfect line to end on. My job is to put into words how incredible the set was, but I don’t think I have the words to do it justice. The whole thing was flawless from start to finish and I need to see what their headline sets look like after witnessing this show.
It feels worth noting that between acts (and occasionally during) many fans in the standing pit had taken it upon themselves to create cup towers to pass the time, because what else would you do with hard plastic cups in such a huge crowd? This whole ordeal was so amusing it was like a whole other support act in itself! The poor fans in the middle were getting cups lobbed at them left, right and centre as everybody wanted in on the action. Gig goers became the main attraction as they stood on their mates’ shoulders to add another cup to the 10ft tower, and were met with cheers every time they were successful. Unfortunately security took the cups away in the end (which got them very loudly booed).
#From the first note of ‘Silver Cloud’ it became clear that a huge portion of the room were State Champs fans too, and why wouldn’t they be? They always know how to have a 
goodtime and get the party going as they brought New York’s finest pop punk to Nottingham. State Champs solidified their place as titans of the pop punk scene many years ago. It’s no coincidence that they have an album titled ‘Kings of the New Age’, they live up to that name every time. They are a well oiled machine by this point. Evan Ambrosio’s punchy drums were the driving force behind the whole operation and blended seamlessly with Tyler Szalkowski’s bouncy, melodic riffs. Ryan Scott Graham was as on fire as always, spinning around the stage like a human beyblade and bringing the infectious energy that rubbed off on everybody. Frontman Derek Discanio was in his element, his polished and precise vocals tied everything together perfectly. The combination of Derek and Ryan’s vocals were incredible. Ryan’s harmonies during songs such as ‘Criminal’ were unbelievably satisfying.
This was the first night State Champs were playing on this tour after being absent in Glasgow the night before, but they made their presence known tonight. The set was a blend of old favourites all the way back to their very first album such as ‘Elevated’ and newer tracks from their self titled album such as ‘Light Blue’ and newest single ‘Common Sense’. State Champs may not be as heavy as the other bands but they certainly brought the very same chaos, with their set even seeing the first crowdsurfers of the night. By the time the whole crowd was screaming ‘Secrets’ at the top of their lungs I briefly forgot they weren’t the headliners! They don’t feel out of place playing in an arena like this and I’m sure it won’t be long before they headline their own shows in them.
It was finally time for the main event, and the very second Don Broco took to the stage, a whole other level of energy surged through the room, the atmosphere was electric. They wasted no time getting into the latest era with lead single ‘Cellophane’. The new heavier sound Broco are leaning into made for an explosive start to the set. The opening line has become somewhat of a joke with fans. If you aren’t already aware, some fans have pointed 
out that the way Rob Damiani sings “Have you got the minerals?” Sounds like “Have you got the mini rolls?” And fans had signs saying it, and many even brought mini rolls with them to carry on the joke! It all definitely adds to the fun.
Fan favourites such as ‘Come Out To LA’ and ‘Gumshield’ saw the whole room going off. The standing pit became a sea of people jumping and waving. Pints were thrown, more and more crowd surfers were flying over the barrier, it was by far the rowdiest crowd I’ve seen at a show in a long time. Infact I don’t think I’ve ever seen a crowd quite like this, it’s just further proof that Don Broco are a force to be reckoned with. So much so that the footage on the big screen was shaky, the crowd were going so hard that it was literally shaking the cameras! ‘Come Out To LA’ has always been a personal favourite and Matt Donnelly’s vocals were on point, the fact he can sound that incredible whilst also playing the drums and keeping in time is so admirable, it’s a level of multitasking that I could never do!
‘Gumshield’ saw the first of Rob’s iconic stomps he had become known for. He was in his element, feeding off of the crowd’s energy. Rob is one of the most charismatic frontmen, his powerful, magnetic presence draws every eye in the room and has them captivated from start to finish.
As Rob addressed the crowd for the first time it was evident he, along with the rest of the band, were visibly taken aback by the crowd’s enthusiasm, his first response simply being “This shit is looking insane”. He then spoke about how long it has been since they played in Nottingham, and shared the story of the last time they played this very arena, and how they filmed the ‘Technology’ music video here, and had a 20 minute circle pit around the ‘Technology’ cowboy because of it! As they launched into the song right after the story, the circle pits began once again, the green laser lights were mesmerising.
Circling back to some newer material,‘Euphoria’ followed with a huge singalong from the crowd, and the most satisfying harmonies on the “Gonna live forever” line. I have ‘Euphoria’ on repeat now, hearing it live has me addicted.
The absolute standout moment in the set was Rob and Simon making their way into the
seating block for an acoustic version of ‘You Wanna Know’. They made their way down to the seats directly next to me, and a couple got engaged right before the song. The stripped back track perfectly soundtracked the moment, and showcased Ron’s unreal vocals, it definitely made an unforgettable memory for not only the happy couple, but the thousands of people in the crowd. Continuing with the acoustic songs, Yonaka’s Theresa Jarvis then joined Rob back on stage to perform ‘Further’ and I had goosebumps the whole time. Their vocals perfectly complement one another and it’s by far my new favourite version of the track.
The final few songs were the peak of the chaos, the second the opening riff of ‘Everybody’
began the crowd went wild once again. ‘T-Shirt Song’ is of course a staple of Don Broco shows, with many even bringing a spare t-shirt to swing above their head. Seeing the sea of T-Shirts and watching everybody just enjoying the moment is always a highlight, even when it is no longer the final song of the set. The set closed out with ‘Hype Man’, one of the latest singles of the new era. A song so new being the final one of the night is a sign that the new era is going to be a hit for sure! It worked perfectly as a finisher for the set.
‘This wasn’t my first Don Broco show and it certainly won’t be the last, their songs are built to be played live in arenas like this. The whole show, production, crowd, all made it an unforgettable night. I can’t wait to see where this new era of music takes Don Broco next.
