Not much ever goes on in Sydney on a Sunday, but that’s not true tonight as for UK sensation DON BROCO are in town embarking on their first ever Australian tour. This is the band that has left a trail of sold-out venues in the UK, some that hold a capacity of up to 10 000, but here in Sydney tonight we will get the chance to witness their bombastic live show for the very first time in the intimate surroundings of the Oxford Art Factory.Opening tonight’s show is an artist called AViVA, a local breaking artist and a real one to watch out for. Her music is infectious and the lyrics get stuck in your head instantly, check out her latest offering Grrrls.
Special support act for the tour is Melbourne band Storm the Sky. These guys, along with all the acts on tonight’s show, are set to do big things. The vocal range on William Jarratt is amazing and the band themselves play so tight you can just hear the raw lyrical honesty and emotion throughout the entire set, especially to tracks such as Jaded Ghost, In Vain and Lilac, ‘Wow’, I am blown away, and as I look around the room it is good to see so many smiling faces enjoying the music.
Don Broco take to the stage and they are absolutely abundant in energy, it is so infectious as for we all start jumping around to the floor filler anthem Everybody. There really is no stopping these guys as they sing, dance and play guitar all over the stage. The crowd are into every verse, every sound the band makes, it really is quite electric. Songs like Money Power Fame, Technology, Priorities and latest release Stay Ignorant were all very much the big crowd-pleasers, along with the set-list finisher of T-Shirt Song in which crowd members take off their shirt or any item of clothing available and swing it above their heads (we are told this is a customary thing that happens in every cheesy UK nightclub when the Baywatch theme song is played). Don Broco’s music may be funky, jump and dance type jams but that didn’t stop the odd circle pit from opening on a few older tracks like Hold On and for the encore Thug Life.
As I watched and listened tonight I was trying to find the best way to describe how this band comes across in sound and performance and when I saw guitarist Simon Delaney’s shirt it hit me, these guys remind me of INXS but have the post-hard-core good times vibe of A Day to Remember. Frontman Rob Damiani reminds me very much of the late Michael Hutchinson, his charisma and charm just shone through up there on the stage tonight whether he was getting us to cheer for which beach the band should attend, Manly or Coogee, (Coogee won of course) or amping up the crowd with that Sydney, Melbourne rivalry admitting he is a Sydney man now he has been here. Damini even indulged in that odd Aussie custom of doing a shoey, he downed a beer out of an audience members Van’s citing it was delicious. Another testament to just how great this band are is noticing that tonight’s audience had members from other local bands in attendance bands such as Hands Like Houses, Awaken I Am, With Confidence and Tonight Alive.
Don Broco are one of the bands that musically are very interesting to listen too, be it at home or on the move, but to see them live is just something that elevates the music to a whole new level. They are now my new favourite band and will be yours too and trust me in saying, that when their new album TECHNOLOGY is released, (due early 2018) and then after when these guys come back, and they will be back, you won’t have the opportunity to see them in venue as up close and personal as the one they played tonight or any on this tour. It was an awesome show, with an awesome live band, go get some of them now!!!
Review – Chad
