Don Broco // Dune Rats // Bowen // Live Review // The Leadmill // Sheffield
I have heard IMMENSE talks of this band for the past year. Every time they performed live, I missed it. When an intimate show was announced at The Leadmill in Sheffield in preparation for their 2000 Trees festival slot, I knew this was the moment. Tonight we see the rising stars, Don Broco.
Bowen were the opener for tonight. The 4-piece Londoners are pretty new to the scene judging by the research I’ve done, but all members have had past musical experience. I must say, the initial taking to the stage was… lacklustre?? The band came out. People woo-ed. With no interaction or acknowledgement of the crowd, the band just started to tune their guitars. The initial excitement seemed to die down as people wondered “Are they taking the stage or just tuning?”
The music the band brought was great, earning cheers after every song. The crowd interaction was pretty much just introducing the songs and moving on. If anyone knows me, they know I love when openers bring the energy and the excitement for the night. The bands just seem pumped to be on stage. Whilst Bowen isn’t bad by any means (they’re all great at playing their instruments), when it comes to playing live; everything is in tune except for the presence.
By no means do I want this to come across as a bad review for the band I’d stick them on if I was doing something and they’d help pass the time. When paired with a headliner like Don Broco though…you’d just expect a bit more energy on the stage. A bit more excitement for the night and to be performing to new people would help bring in some new fans for sure, as they have the sound, we just need the personality on stage.
Dune Rats are the main support. The Australian 3-piece came on and immediately I knew this was the energy we needed. The band felt like they’d encapsulated that punk energy from the 2000s and made it digestible for the 2020s. The charisma of the band was immediately felt as soon as they started to play and was passed to the audience who grew more active.
The band managed to get a wall of death from the crowd at the start of their set and even had a fan come on stage to drink alcohol from a shoe…couldn’t see if it was a shoe the band was wearing…the crowd let out a massive cheer as the woman on stage chugged this drink, before joining them back in the pit. The band didn’t seem that well known before their set, but the way they got the crowd’s attention from the get go is obvious.
Dune Rats had the banter on the stage too. The band members would be interacting with each other or having a conversation via the microphones and just having a blast. The bassist was going for it with the Moshing, I’m not sure I got a single picture with his hair not covering his face. For my closing notes I wrote a single sentence; This band is like Blink 182 and SUM 41 had a child and that child was raised on Green Day.
Don Broco is a band of legend to me. Everytime I hear someone speak of them it’s with insane passion and enthusiasm. Knowing that maybe one day I could photograph them and review, I decided to hold off checking their music in full and just be surprised by what’s on stage. My first impression as they absolutely tear apart this stage is it’s like they’re from the 80s but it also just feels right?? The band is just fun. Fun songs and fun to watch.
The crowd partook in another wall of death and even a circle pit, with judgment from the vocalist as he proclaimed “you can go faster than that.” We even had our first crowd surfers, my immediate clue being that panic the security guards go through as they approach the barrier and start to nudge you out the way. The crowd was the absolute loudest during “One True Prince“, even louder than the band at points.
Each band member had an amazing vibe that they brought to the stage. The drummer would joke around, putting his hand up when the vocalist asked “who lost their hair extensions?” As he clutched a chunk of fake hair that landed on stage. The members at the front would constantly be on the move and changing places, singing and playing to other areas of the crowd. And I mean constantly. At one point it was like a routine they had planned with how in unison they were with their movements and switching around.
Don Broco is a force to be reckoned with. Like a tornado growing in speed and reach. It’s been a few years since a new album was dropped, and the band have been dropping some new singles periodically this past year. So, maybe something is on the horizon. Til then, the band has some exciting festival appearances to look forward to this year. Dune Rats will be heading back to Australia for a few headliner shows of their own this summer and Bowen have some exciting dates throughout the summer at festivals in the South of the UK.
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