Well
tonight was always going to be a busy one, not
only are the Deftones playing in the main academy
but Don Broco are playing in the Academy 2, which
was originally meant to be an academy 3 gig, but
due to phenomenal sales they were upgraded and
then sold out again! That is amazing for a band
that where playing the academy 2 as support only
6 months ago, they’ve come a long way in
a short time and tonight is a chance to show just
how far. For support they’ve brought another
great new British band;
Mallory
Knox, are a 5 piece emo/rock band, who take their
name from Juliette Lewis’s character in
the film Natural Born Killers. They’ve been
a band since 09 but have kicking around trying
to push through for the past year and if tonight’s
performance is anything to go by, they should
be touring venues like this on their own in no
time. The band are already on stage by the time
I get into the venue, and as I push my way to
the front past all the sweaty bodies, I can hear
this wonderful rocky sound, the band are bustling
about the small stage and all have smiles on their
faces, they are performing well and the crowd
are enjoying in return. They play a setlist off
7 songs; Wake Up, Beggers, Death Rattle, Resuscitate,
Signal, Oceans and ending with Lighthouse. During
the songs, they entertain, they rock out and they
even get the crowd singing along especially in
Death Rattle, in which singer Mikey Chapman, barely
has to do anything, it seems that the band already
have an anthem on their hands. I really enjoyed
Mallory Knox and so did the rest of the crowd,
they’ve warmed the room up good and proper,
ready for the main act Don Broco, who in case
you’ve missed them over the past year, are
a British 4 piece from Bedford. They’ve
been around for a while and have spent the past
few years touring, pretty much none stop. But
this tour is the first since the release of their
debut album Priority’s, which has taken
the rock world by storm! The stage is dark and
the band emerge one by one, from the hallway at
the back of the stage, they kick straight into
the title track from the album (which is also
the
name of this tour) Priorities and singer Rob Damiani
bounces onto the stage, with a camera strapped
to his head, and blasts into his husky vocals
which is accompanied in parts by drummer Matt
Donnelly, who is doing a Phill Collins. The room
erupts and the crowd goes crazy, all bouncing
and singing along, in the short time this albums
been out the audience must have had it on constant
repeat as they don’t skip a word throughout
the whole night!
The sound can normally be a problem in the academy
2, but there’s no problems tonight, the
band sound amazing, and everything hi strummed
guitar thrash, every heavy beat and every funky
bass rhythm is heard, and you can tell these guys
know how to play their instruments well,
this is apparent in the way they change styles
throughout the gig, from playing a catchy rock
tune one moment, to playing a thrashing metalesc
song like Thug Workout the next, all without batting
an eyelid. Whilst playing well, the band jump
around the stage, and off the metal crates that
are all lined up on the front of the stage, they
even take a moment to do a synchronised dance
move where they all pretend to be power walking
to the front of the stage and then to the side
on the spot, it looks great and the crowd love
it. They also have some good banter in-between
tracks with Damiani taking time to thank the crowd
for their love and support, and for making tonight
a sell-out, twice! The setlist is made up off
mainly the new album with singles like Actors
and Hold On along with their next single Whole
Truth but with the odd older non album track in
the mix like Beautiful Morning and the previously
mentioned Thug Workout, they end their set with
their last single Fancy Dress which ends the night
on a high, with the band bouncing off stage and
the crowd dancing their way out the venue.
Tonight has been a great gig, with up and comers
Mallory Knox, proving they’ve got allot
to give and how they’ll be getting bigger
and bigger in 2013 and Don Broco showing why they’ve
done what MK want to do, they’re fun, they’re
entertaining and they sound great all things which
gets fans involved and will hopefully lead to
bigger and better things. Don Broco are great
live and have pretty much sold out most of this
tour, but if you can get a ticket to one of their
up and coming gigs, go and check them out, as
they make for a great evening!
Mallory Knox 4/5
Don Broco 4.5/5
Review By James Daly
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