Don Broco
Utilita Arena 03/24/23
Birmingham UK
Claire H. Head Insomnia Photographer
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Live Review
Headlining arenas around the UK was once a pipe dream to four cheeky chaps hailing from Bedford. But in the year 2023 it became their reality, as Don Broco took to the stage for the biggest shows of their career thus far. Joining them for the handful of shows, were very special guests, Papa Roach.
As Papa Roach made their highly anticipated appearance at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena, they are met with a huge roar and hundreds of fists in the air. A rather unsurprising reaction for the nostalgia fueled band. Although the arena floor was only half full, Papa Roach ripped a blinding set and made it a Friday night to remember - for the fans that moved anyway! They blasted through hit singles, before introducing mammoth emo single ‘Scars’. Lead vocalist, Jacoby Shaddix briefly recalled how it was never their intention to create music that would help people with their struggles, but having been made aware of the fact - makes it more rewarding. The track served as a real highlight of the set, with the arena waking up for a throwback sing-a-long.
Between Angels and Insects was another hit that gained a huge reaction from the crowd, although it seemed everyone was waiting for one Papa Roach song in particular. Requiring no prior introduction, the band dove straight into Last Resort, which unsurprisingly was their hardest hitting of the set. The crowd could be heard and visibly having a great time, but the overall atmosphere still lacked what the song so thoroughly deserved. Huge props to Papa Roach who, despite playing to a rather stiff crowd at times, fought back and delivered a passion fuelled and punchy set. Leaving the stage on a positive note, Shaddix roared: “We are family and we are Papa Roach”.
After a brief intermission, the stage was set and ready for Don Broco to grace the arena’s stage. The show opened with the band taking to the stage in complete darkness, with each member’s silhouette being revealed by appropriately timed lighting aligned with the instrumental intro track - a nod to the album artwork for the deluxe edition of their 2021 release ‘Amazing Things’.
Opening the show was rousing track from said album, Bruce Willis which saw lead vocalist Rob Damiani light and parade about the stage with a flare, an interesting choice which ultimately added nothing to the show. After racing through another recent single ‘Gumshield’, the band threw it back to 2017 hit, ‘Technology’ before addressing the crowd for the first time of the evening. Damiani announced that Birmingham had always felt like a “second home”, as he recalled the city hosting some of the first shows the band played outside their hometown.
Storming through their set packed with hits, the bands energy was unrivalled which was matched by the crowd of adoring fans. The appearance of ‘Thug Workout’ from their first EP release was met with an eruption from the arena, which soon deflated upon the realisation that only the first verse was performed. It was disappointing to discover that ‘Priorities’ was the only deep cut performed in full of the night, but it was a blinding show nonetheless. Concluding the night was Broco’s famous encore closing, ‘T-Shirt Song’. Of course paired with a sea of fans swinging their shirts above their heads in unison.
