By Beth Dean
St Albans on Thursday night was the scene of a well-kept secret supporting set by the Bedford four-piece, Don Broco.
Announced on the same day by headlining band, Atlas, Don Broco fans were treated to an intimate and atmospheric gig that made them nostalgic for the bands early days of performing. Having played The Horn, as many bands do when they first started out; the short set felt like a warm nod to where they began.
The gig was a surreal and sweaty experience. Frontman Rob Demaini started the show by thanking Atlas for letting them jump in at such short notice, and after half of opening song ‘Pretty’, catalysed a wall of death that sent drinks flying.
It became apparent very quickly that diehard fans of the band had heard about this gig in the masses, as the small venue became a literal melting pot of moshing and dancing and booze. The atmosphere was electric and I’m not surprised, considering the bands next tour takes them to headline Alexandra Palace, this was a rare chance to see the band in such close proximity.
It was Don Broco’s tracks from first Album ‘Priorities’ that were truly remarkable to witness, giving the set a real ‘back to the roots’ feel. The band concluded with thanking some of the organisers from the Horn by name, for supporting them when they first started out.
Our writer Beth Dean with the man himself
After the set, fans herded out of the pub pouring with sweat, crowding the smoking area and surrounding streets of St Albans. By chance, I walked towards the back of the pub and saw the band loading up their equipment into the van, and managed to get a quick chat with them whilst giving them a hand.
Speaking to Demaini, I asked what kind of time we could be expecting the new album.”It all kind of came together this week” he claimed, “We’re hopefully looking for a release date early next year”. I also asked about the content of the album, and what it could be compared to. Demaini said: “Its definitely a lot punchier than our more recent stuff. It’s really a combination of ‘Automatic’ and ‘Priorities’ as an album, but yeah definitely not angrier, but punchier than what we’ve done lately.”
We were also talking about the performance, and I asked Demaini what he thought of the gig, and he claimed he loved it. “We write songs to be performed live” he added. “It’s why we all got into music, we love the performance side the most.”
All in all, the gig was intense, and the lads taking the time to talk to me at the end only made me warm to the band all the more. I look forward to their up and coming album, and wish them all the luck for Alexandra Palace and beyond.
