Album release shows always carry a different kind of weight and Don Broco did not disappoint. Opening with True believers featuring Sam Carter (Though, contrary to some fan theories, he wasn’t at this show). The intensity was unreal from the moment they stepped on stage and only grew as the night went on.
The biggest question going into this was how the new material would land. Instead of slowing things down, it did quite the opposite. The new songs hit with just as much of a bang as other releases, the entire crowd had memorised the lyrics and were singing them right back like they’d known them for years. My personal favourite was Nightmare Tripping, which translated just as incredibly live as it does on record. There was also a lot of curiosity around the Nickelback feature, and it’s undoubtedly paid off. The track pulls you through a mix of emotions in a short space of time. Of course Don Broco added some classics into the mix such as ‘Everybody’ ‘Come out to LA’ and ‘Pretty’ which are fan favourites. As always, Don Broco’s live presence is hard to match. Rob Damiani really knows how to work a crowd and this show was a great example of that. Orchestrating, as he called it “The biggest wall of death Brighton has ever seen” It was so great to watch everyone work together and help each other back up when needed, especially when seeing countless crowd surfers, mosh pits and people on shoulders. Not to mention splitting the room in half to sing during ‘Everybody’ The sense of unity in their fan base was really shown here and it goes to show, whether they’re playing a massive venue or a more intimate one like Chalk, they’ll get it right. It’s super exciting to see Don Broco lean back into a sound we haven’t heard a lot of since ‘Thug Workout’ (a nod for long-time fans) and do it so well. The new material feels immersive and varied, while still cohesive as a body of work. Having a darker and more intense sound than previous albums it’s definitely landed well with fans. By the end of the night, Chalk was sweaty, loud and still buzzing, with chants for “one more song” filling the room, and of course, Don Broco delivered. Causing a sea of t-shirts around the venue and a crowd that wasn’t ready to leave with ‘T-shirt song’ and ‘Hypeman’. Overall the atmosphere was truly incredible and if anyone has the chance to see Don Broco live I couldn’t recommend it more.
