Review: Don Broco at Portsmouth Guildhall

Having been keeping an eye on the Don Broco tour, as a photographer I always have a bit of trepidation for a gig where things can get… messy! So that, added to the fact that the M27 was closed meant that I was not only later than I would have liked but the that I had more time to let my imagination run away with me. Having listened to the new album, “Amazing Things” a lot recently, and so took the opportunity to listen to their back catalogue. From a much more diverse array of songs in the older albums, the new record has taken the style of some of those more punchy tunes and really come together as a more cohesive sound. It feels that Don Broco, like a lot of bands, have spent the lockdown writing an album that was made to be played to a live audience – and as the traffic began to move, I was really starting to look forward to the show.

Because I was late, I didn’t get a chance to shoot Kid Brunswick, but I caught the end of their set and it was a great start to the evening. Followed by Noisy, who really got the crowd going – a perfect warm-up act for Don Broco both musically and because they really got the crowd buzzing. We would see the frontmen of both acts later when Don Broco played “Action”.

Right from the off, Don Broco stormed the stage with their signature outfits, frontman Rob Damiani getting the already buzzing crowd worked up for a big show. There was a really positive vibe from the crowd, who sang along with every song with full force. The new album certainly got the crowd jumping, with scissor kicks a plenty from guitarist Si and bassist Pete who could hardly keep his feet on the ground.

With the crowd going wild for songs such as “Uber” and windmilling their tops for the T-Shirt song, you can see how the band are filling so many big venues, with a 2022 US tour announced. Fans of the back catalogue will not be disappointed either, with a really strong mix of old and new tracks as part of the set list. I also enjoyed the interaction with the crowd; with such a lively audience and massive mosh pits, Rob both had fun and urged everyone to look out for each other – being in the centre of the floor at a Don Broco gig is not for the faint-hearted! The Portsmouth crowd certainly seemed to be having a great time whilst looking out for each other – I don’t think I have ever seen so much action at a show!