Don Broco at Koko

Only last year alternative rockers Don Broco released their debut album Priorities, yet on the night of 19^th April, the boys sold out London’s Koko, along with former Gallow’s frontman Frank Carter and his band Pure Love. The quartet have appeared at the Download and Slam Dunk festivals and supported Enter Shikari and You Me At Six, but tonight marks the start of their first major headline tour, and they’re ready to go loco at Koko.

Pure Love played an incredible set: Beach Of Diamonds was a real crowd pleaser, causing every inhabitant of the venue to sing along to catchy lyrics “dive in, dive in”. Carter certainly has a knack for getting a crowd warmed up and it wasn’t long before highly energised circle pits broke out with his encouragement.

Indeed, Don Broco had a tough act to follow, but in the crowd’s words: “They smashed it.” Lead vocalist Rob Damiani’s unique, edgy vocals provided infectious melodies which, combined with thrashing guitar riffs and heavy drum loops, made for a great crowd response. 

Beach balls were bouncing around the venue with dozens of shoes being catapulted through the air as the boys scissor kicked and danced in synchronisation on the stage to Hold On. Priorities really got the crowd going, with fans roaring along to the ironic lyrics: “miss you princess, I miss you babe,” and before long many were crowd surfing, with mosh pits springing up left, right and centre. One couldn’t help but fist pump along to new single Whole Truth.

Damiani commanded the crowd to attempt a “human push-up pyramid” in the break between tracks, and dedicated fans obeyed, uniting to hoist each other up and down – the view from the balcony was astonishing. Damiani’s screams in Thug Work Out elicited an extremely energetic response from the rough-and-ready crowd, ending in a “wall of death,” in which the crowd split down the middle and ran towards each other.

The gig was truly frenzied and by the end everyone was exhausted, unsurprisingly, after either singing their lungs out or losing their shoes in the mosh pit. If you came out looking good, you must have been doing it wrong. It was a marvel that Koko was still standing after the show: Don Broco gave it their all. Go and see them in action!

Gemma Whitfield
Photos: Helen Parish

For further information and future events visit Don Broco’s website here.

Watch the video for Priorities here: