Don Broco at Victoria Warehouse — neck braces advised, t-shirts and fast food fancy dress optional
It was a sea of lost phones, crowd surfing, circle pits and items of clothing being swung like propellers — and you won't catch one person complaining.
On Wednesday night, Bedford-based band Don Broco brought their unmistakable and more boisterous than ever brand of post-hardcore, nu-metal and everything in between to the O2 Victoria Warehouse in one of the most chaotic and heavy gigs we’ve been to in a hot minute.
And it was glorious — glorious, glorious carnage.
Celebrating ‘The Birthday Party Tour’ and more than a decade together as a group, the British rockers have been around a while now but, in many ways, are only just getting the kind of credit die-hards feel they’ve deserved for a long time.
Their highly praised set at this year’s Reading Festival certainly helped put them on the map to a wider audience, not only giving some extra air time to their unique sound but shining a spotlight on the incredible energy behind their live performances. That being said, we weren’t quite prepared for this…
Don Broco smashed Manchester O2 Victoria Warehouse within an inch of its life.
It had been roughly eight years since we saw Don Broco live around the time of their second album — and not even in 0161; having to travel to Stoke on a random rainy night after their Manchester show sold out in the blink of an eye thanks to already fast-growing cult following.
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They were incredible back then but having done some of their very best stuff since then, we were eagerly awaiting to see what those tracks would feel like in the flesh and they didn’t disappoint. Not even a little bit.
To give you an idea of how hard these lads go, frontman Rob Damiani walked out onto the stage donning a neck brace as well as sunglasses usually reserved for skiing. While we initially thought it was nothing more than a gimmick from a four-piece who are always happy to lean into the funny side of their music, he quickly confirmed it was legit and that he’d literally headbanged himself into whiplash.
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Nevertheless, it didn’t stop him from jumping around and bobbing his head as firmly as he could get away with whilst whipping the crowd up into a frenzy of circle pits, moshes and a predictably chaotic wall of death. This sort of stuff can turn plenty gig-goers of a certain disposition off, but not this lot.
Don Broco’s pits are pretty legendary as it is, but they’re a different kettle of fish with a Manchester crowd.
Within seconds of walking out to fan favourite ‘Gumshield’, the tone of the night was established right from the off: people stomping their heads off, screaming their lungs out throwing their often middle-fingered limbs up in the air and thrashing the floor of Victoria Warehouse to bits.
We barely spent a single second not bouncing all over the place and immersing ourselves in one of the biggest, sweatiest and most ridiculous pits we’ve probably ever experienced. Ridiculous in every sense of the word, by the way.
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From just as many people wearing genuine United shirts as there were Broco’s own p*ss-take merch of the kit in honour of ‘Manchester Super Reds No.1 Fan‘ — another much-loved and heavily sardonic track — to people dressed up as minions, Ronald McDonald and Colonel Sanders, there was as much to see in the audience as there was on stage.
The KFC and Maccies mascots even got a shoutout on stage and a rapturous round of applause as they crowd-surfed to the front for their five minutes of fame, with people chanting their names just as loud as any lyric on the night.
Icons, every single one of them.
The set was mostly populated by other tracks off their most recent record Amazing Things (2021), but they still made room for throwbacks like ‘Fancy Dress’ and ‘Yeah Man’ off their debut album, Priorities; ‘You Wanna Know’ and ‘Superlove’ from their sophomore entry, as well as fair few from Technology.
Broco’s sound might have changed plenty over the course of their career but as Rob and co. rightly recognised in a heartfelt interlude before their next rager, their fan base hasn’t just stuck with them but actively encouraged their evolution and embraced every step towards a more bonkers and often intentionally humorous approach.
Be it the comedic music videos, outfits and antics on stage or having everyone do press-up pyramids back in the day, they’ve always been unapologetically themselves and their love of so many genres (including the heftier, harder stuff they drawn from more recently), along with Damiani’s ever-divisive vocals means that once you’ve heard them, you can spot one of their tracks within seconds.
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But beyond that, it was the sheer effort both from them and the crowd that stood out to us. After non-stop pits and being swept from one corner of the room to another, everyone in the room was so knackered that plenty were tapping out by the last song. They left everything out there and it felt like we’d all climbed a mountain together.
Manchester! The Broco Arms will be taking over The Dockyard pub today from 3.30 (Media City M50 2EQ) 🍺🦖 50 exclusive Broco Arms tees available first come first serve, see you soon for a coupla pints 🍻 pic.twitter.com/43xa6a8Zko
People had been looking for lost phones and flicking the sweat from every inch of their bodies long before we reached the summit but despite being literally drained within an inch of their life and losing valuable possessions, there was nothing but laughter and smiles on everyone’s faces.
Now that’s the sign of a good gig.
Clearly emotional in bugging up the incredible support acts in Ocean Grove and Trash Boat and thanking the crowd, they informed their army of loyal subjects that they’d been going away for a while but that they’d be back with a new album and more appreciation an unquestionable truth: music is a powerful lifeblood that can see a light break through even your darkest days.
With that in mind, Don Broco signed off their first Manchester gig in ages in the most fitting way possible with what has become a post-pandemic tradition, as countless fans pulled off their tops and outer layers to swing them around for the mental health anthem that is ‘T-Shirt Song’.
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It was one of the most magical moments we’ve had at a gig in a long time and one we’ll never forget. In case you were under any illusions that they’re still an up-and-coming rock outfit, you’re wrong: they’re absolute pros and fully serve to be packing out arenas across the world. Now time for a 10-year nap.
Review | Villanelle debut: Liam Gallagher’s son’s band release their first track – here’s our review
Danny Jones
Liam Gallagher’s son, Gene, and his band Villanelle, have officially released their debut single to the masses, and since we’re still very much immersing ourselves in everything even remotely to do with Oasis, we thought we’d give this first track a review.
Now, if you’re expecting a familiar Britpop vibe like his dad and uncle used to bash out back in the day, you’d be very wrong…
It’s one thing to settle into something similar to what you’ve grown up around and try to continue a lineage if you’re from a successful family – especially with a legacy as important and influential as the one left by Liam and Noel – but we’re glad to report they’ve done something pretty different.
24-year-old Gene Gallagher and his bandmates Ben Taylor (guitar), Jack Schiavo (bass), and Andrew Richmond (drums) haven’t just tried to do an impression of Oasis; instead, they’ve found their own sound, and while it does give somewhat of an old-school flavour, it’s not what we expected.
It takes literally milliseconds for you to click into realising the vibe they’re going for.
‘Hinge’ is a simplistic but hard-hitting, grungey and dark debut from Villanelle, who, despite having played a number of in-progress songs live over the last year or so, have only just dropped their first studio single.
In fact, they’ve actually taken the admittedly bizarre and unorthodox first steps of having already played live with Liam Gallagher on the Definitely Maybe 30th anniversary tour before they actually released anything people can easily listen to outside of their live performances.
Nevertheless, the young four-piece introduces Villanelle as the latest post-punk outfit amidst the ongoing revival of the classic rock genre.
That is to say that punk is a tried and true classic style of music, not that these lads are trying to sound like The Rolling Stones…
Anyway, we’re getting sidetracked: Villanelle draw plenty of influences from both original and contemporary examples of this sonic subculture, and while it isn’t explosive per se, ‘Hinge’ is short, direct and hits the same formulaic notes.
It’s also fair to say you can hear a bit of the recognisable LG whine in Gene’s vocals at times, too. Listen to it in full down below and see if you agree.
Even the basic found-footage style video fits into the same category.
To call it straightforward isn’t intended as any kind of a diss, by the way – some of our favourite tunes and best artists spearheading the renaissance of the punk scene write like this.
What we will say is that it looks like bloody good fun to both play and listen to in a small, sweaty room, with plenty of pits and people bouncing off the walls.
Gallagher Sr. might be surprised to see his son going for a slightly heavier, more hardcore route with his sound, but he can’t accuse him of forgetting his roots as the child of a ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star.’
The boys are actually hitting the road this winter, including a date at The Castle Hotel in the Northern Quarter, if you fancy grabbing a ticket.
You can grab your tickets to see Villanelle on tour HERE, and in the meantime, let us know what you think of their debut track down in the comments.
Johnny Marr teases his work on upcoming Gorillaz album
Danny Jones
Legendary Manchester musician Johnny Marr has revealed he features on the new Gorillaz album, adding even more interest in the highly anticipated release.
The Mountain is the ninth studio LP from the musical collective led by Damon Albarn, which is set to drop in early 2026, more than three years on from their last album, Cracker Island.
Although the virtual band made up of several real-life creatives (though the ex-Blur frontman and artist, Jamie Hewlett, technically remain the only two consistent core members) hasn’t been away for too long, each new project brings a wave of excitement.
With that in mind, we have no shame in admitting we have even more interest in Gorillaz’s latest album now that we know Johnny Marr is attached to it.
I’m pleased to share that I appear on four tracks on the upcoming Gorillaz album The Mountain. It’s a privilege to be a part of this record along with so many great artists. #Gorillaz#JohnnyMarrpic.twitter.com/KXVZxgyGg9
In the new rundown of tunes already posted earlier this month, the former Smiths songwriter and lead guitarist features on four different songs on the new record. You can see it in full down below:
Gorrilaz – The Mountain tracklist
1. The Mountain (feat. Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash) 2. The Moon Cave (feat. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda and Black Thought) 3. The Happy Dictator (feat. Sparks) 4. The Hardest Thing (feat. Tony Allen) 5. Orange County (feat. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar) 6. The God of Lying (feat. IDLES) 7. The Empty Dream Machine (feat. Black Thought, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar) 8. The Manifesto (feat. Trueno and Proof) 9. The Plastic Guru (feat. Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar) 10. Delirium (feat. Mark E. Smith) 11. Damascus (feat. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey) 12. The Shadowy Light (feat. Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan Ali Bangash, and Ayaan Ali Bangash) 13. Casablanca (feat. Paul Simonon and Johnny Marr) 14. The Sweet Prince (feat. Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar) 15. The Sad God (feat. Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna and Anoushka Shankar)
As you can see, the 61-year-old appears for the first time on song seven, ‘The Empty Dream Machine’, as well as ‘The Plastic Guru’, ‘Casablanca’, and the penultimate track on the album, ‘The Sweet Prince’.
It’ll be interesting to see how he fits into the captivating soundscape already teased by the group, with Gorillaz having now shared ‘The Happy Dictator’ featuring art pop duo Sparks.
A strong and politically loaded start.
Marr – who only released his fourth batch of solo material, Fever Dream Pts 1-4, back in 2022 – has continued to craft and produce with countless other artists over the past few decades, sharing the studio with fellow icons such as Noel Gallagher, Billy Bragg, Talking Heads and many more.
He even helped create the score for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 soundtrack with legendary composer Hans Zimmer.
That being said, we can only hope to hear some of his famous guitar tones sprinkled throughout this album, though it’s still unclear as to exactly how much input he had on The Mountain overall.
What we do know about the album is that it’s the first to be released via Albarn’s new record label KONG; it’s 15 tracks, and was largely made following extended recording sessions across India, with the likes of Ajay Prasanna, Omar Souleyman and Anoushka Shankar, joining IDLES, Jalen Ngonda and other collabs.
Perhaps most excitingly, the announcement of ‘Gorillaz no.9’ came alongside a series of tour dates, including one right here in Manchester. We can’t wait to see 2D, Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs and Noodle ‘live’ in 0161.
Danny Jones -
14th December 2023 
