Concert Review: DON BROCO DELIVERS At Irving Plaza NYC

I start my review of Don Broco’s Irving Plaza show by telling you the odds against them. First, they were the first opener amongst a line of punk-poppers crewing up to show the best of the UK and Australia. Then, they were on at 7, which NYC’ers know, is an early concert for us. Thus, the fact that they made the stage theirs for 30 minutes, which in concert world is the equivalent of a breeze, makes me excited for their future.

It is not easy to be the first, especially when you are, relatively, new to New York as a musician. Unfortunately, we are not known as the friendliest people, which is why frontman Rob Damiani was a strong lead to pump up the audience readying to crowd surf to gut-busting tunes. That night in Irving, if you did not earn a crowd surf, you were not a true artist, which is why Damiani’s own entrance into the audience earned him riotous cheers. He was making an impression on the crowd, and opening them up to Don Broco’s sugary take on punk bitterness. Playing some of their newest singles like “Pretty”, “Money, Power, And Fame” and “You Wanna Know” started what would be a long night of head-bangs and mosh pitting with a briskness. Don Broco’s music is a good in-between to the slow, casualness of indie-pop blended with the strain and stress of punk rock chords. Thus, they, sonically, felt like the melding of two worlds to make one, which made them one of the freshest bands of the night. Yet, again, it was Damiani’s good humor and solid standing as frontman that made them memorable. 


It is clear that Don Broco, like my most recent review of POND, are good friends, which eased the crowd into entering their music domain. Who can resist cool guys wanting a laugh? Moreover, Damiani’s has a voice that is charismatic both in speaking and singing. Even in his higher notes, it sounds deep and pulled down, as if no matter what, he cannot lose how raw he feels about either a relationship or situation gone wrong. It is in this that Don Broco not only get their punk-flare but also their human one. We all have spiritual wounds that cannot seem to fully mend without leaving a scab or scar in our heart, but Don Broco is making great music to help with that. For More Information On Don Broco And Their Current Dates In The U.S. , which include another show TONIGHT AT IRVING PLAZA Click Here.