Don Broco / First Direct Arena / Leeds

Mar 28

Mar 28 Don Broco / First Direct Arena / Leeds

This was a first visit up to Leeds and the impressive First Direct Arena, which opened in 2013 to see Don Broco with support from Papa Roach and Dance Gavin Dance.

An early open doors tonight and a surprisingly big crowd is in early for the first band Dance Gavin Dance. Fresh from their own UK tour in January this year. I had hoped to see them at the SWX in Bristol, but travel plans changed at the last moment.

It’s kind of hard to bracket Dance Gavin Dance, although heavy, their music has a kind of groove to it which is quite different, and very enjoyable. Using two vocalists, one the guttural / screamed sound, the other clear, they counter balance each other really well and give the tracks added depth.

The set starts with Chucky vs The Giant Tortoise from 2016’s “Mothership” album. Highlights of the set for me were Strawberry’s Wake from 2020’s “Afterburner” which has an also pop like feel to it, which doesn’t last too long as the power fuzzy riffs are unleashed, and Inspire The Liars also from 2016’2 “Mothership”. A soft intro unleashes a wall of screamed noise raising the energy levels higher than ever. I really enjoyed it and it seems the early crowd seemed really into it too. A different sound and a great compliment to what’s to come.

Set List

Chucky vs. The Giant Tortoise

Synergy

Summertime Gladness

For the Jeers

Strawberry's Wake

We Own the Night

Inspire the Liars

As the stage crew swap things round, it’s like a nu-metal whos-who on the PA system and the crowd are joining in with all their favourite songs. The sound is fantastic. The lights dimmed, and the crowd screamed and we all headed into the pit. The smoke rolled over the stage and Papa Roach headed out onto the stage led by Jacoby Shaddix with bright white spots flashing.

As the set kicks off, they open with the first track from their latest 2023 album “Ego Trip” Kill the Noise. The new album has a different feel to it, but remains true to old school Papa Roach. This was a great set opener… hard, fast and mixed with flashing lights it got the already pumped crowd going.

Jacoby has a great stage presence and has the big crowd eating out of his hand, waving their arms and raising their devil horns as they rocked along. An absolute highlight was the brilliant cover version of the Prodigy’s Firestarter (or as my old friend used to sing Firelighter lol). Simply brilliant, the crowd lapped it up and the circle pit was in full swing now, and fans moved forwards on a wave of hands, to be brought down into the pit by security. Not long after we had a fantastic cover of The Cure’s Lullaby which also had the Leeds crowd cheering.

Scars from 2004’s “Getting Away with Murder” slows the pace down somewhat for a short time, and the crowd enthusiastically join in, singing along to all the words. As the set draws to a close, we head back to the debut “Infest” from 2001 for Between Angels and Insects and finally Last Resort, which has now clocked up almost 900 million streams on Spotify.

Last Resort is such a powerful track and the delivery tonight is simply stunning. One of the most iconic tracks of the early 2000’s, it retains all it’s intensity today.

Set List

Kill the Noise

Getting Away With Murder

Help

Blood Brothers / Dead Cell

Firestarter (The Prodigy cover)

...To Be Loved

Lullaby (The Cure cover)

Scars

No Apologies

None of the Above

Still D.R.E. (Dr. Dre cover) (With Infest 1st verse lyrics)

Between Angels and Insects

Born for Greatness

Last Resort

We all grab a drink and take a well deserved break as the stage is readied, before heading back into the pit for the main act… Don Broco. The stage falls into darkness and the crowd cheer and shout. At the back of the stage are nine massive tall screens. They start to flash bright white, and the band can be silhouetted against them, as the main lights power up, singer Rob Damiani lights a red flair and holds it aloft. As they take their places on stage Rob hurls the flair off to stage left and the band launch into Bruce Willis from the 2021 album “Amazing Things” which ferociously assaults our ears and the crowd are bouncing along to the chorus and singing along to “Yippee-ki-yay mother*cker”. Simon Delaney on guitar is brilliant, full of energy as he whirls round the stage non-stop all nght.

It’s a wild start and a sure sign that the night is only going to get better. We bounce right into Gumshield (also from “Amazing Things”) unmistakable with its synth intro 2000’s nu-metal (early Linkin Park) vocal styled chorus chant “Put my gumshield in, protect me from myself, put my gumshield in, I think I need some help”. Technology (from the 2018 album of the same name) has a real pop feel to the intro and a thunderous beat to it and has an almost club-like feel to it.

One of my favourite tracks Uber starts with an almost Jean-Michele Jarre synth part before the heavy snarling guitar kicks in. Rob throws off the heavy coat and struts around the stage in his bright yellow vest, as the crowd scream back the lyrics “what the f*ck are we doing” as one. Stunning.

The stage design and lighting are incredible, the nine tall screens at the back alternating between vibrant splashes of colour and video footage of the band. The show has a grand scale feel to it, and it matches the action on stage perfectly.

Manchester Super Reds No1 Fan sees Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix return to the stage to sing with Rob, and he stays out to help with the first part of next track Thug Workout.

For me though, the inclusion of Everybody from 2018’s “Technology” is the moment I’ve been waiting for. The un-mistakable guitar intro before the line “No ones every seen me like this” before the beat kicks in, with a heavy pulsing feel to it. Rob’s vocal delivery is exceptional on this one.

As the set draws to a close, fan favourite Superlove from 2015’s “Automatic” rings out and the crowd ratchet up the noise another level. With a disco guitar sound the whole place is moving.

As we reach the encore first up is the latest single from 2022 Fingernails a fast and furious number, with towering guitar sections, and then what else could we close on but the emotional T-Shirt Song from 2018’s Technology. “They’re saying there’s one song left, no time for no regrets. I take my t-shirt off, swing it around my head” and many do just that !

A great line up, and all three bands complimented each other well, each with their own style but coming together well. If you haven’t seen Don Broco, watch out for news of their next tour, you won’t regret it.

Set List

Bruce Willis

Gumshield

Technology

Uber

Come Out to LA

One True Prince

Pretty

Manchester Super Reds No.1 Fan (with Jacoby Shaddix)

Thug Workout (with Jacoby Shaddix) (First Verse)

Automatic

What You Do to Me