We review Don Broco at Dreamland’s Hall By the Sea in Margate as part of their Birthday Party tour
Published: 12:10, 02 December 2023
Updated: 12:11, 02 December 2023
Margate’s Dreamland is fast becoming a summer hotspot for live music, with artists such as Tom Jones, Two Door Cinema Club and McFly all performing on the outdoor stage this year.
But how does the vintage fairground keep punters coming back in the winter? With gigs like Don Broco in the Hall By the Sea, apparently.
The Bedfordshire rockers are used to playing the likes of London’s Alexandra Palace and the main stage at Reading and Leeds Festival but are currently on an intimate UK tour, including a night at Dreamland’s indoor venue.
It takes a while for the crowd to warm up, especially since it’s -1°C outside, but Australian metal band Ocean Grove and punk outfit Trash Boat give it a good go.
I just miss Ocean Grove, but our photographer had high praise for them, instead making it just in time for Trash Boat.
The St Albans five-piece have a tough job on their hands, not helped by the venue security planting themselves smack-bang in the middle of the crowd in what seems like an effort to stop anyone from getting too boisterous.
I completely appreciate the need for security staff, but this was overkill, particularly for a support band in a half-empty room.
However, Trash Boat persevere against the ‘fun police’ and get a few decent mosh pits going before the end of their set.
That’s not the only time the venue raises eyebrows tonight, as the bar announces it’s run out of Spitfire lager (which makes up four out of eight bar taps) before the main act even takes to the stage. Perhaps it’s a boozy crowd, but were they expecting for a Friday night in Margate?
It doesn’t seem to deter people, however, as from the moment Don Broco confidently stride onto the stage, give a self-assured nod to the crowd and launch into the rip-roaring Gumshield, the place goes wild.
The band are known for their high-energy live performances; after having supported titans of the scene such as You Me At Six, Bring Me The Horizon and Enter Shikari, they’ve learnt how to put on a show.
Within the first few songs - Manchester Super Reds No.1 Fan and Come Out to LA - the band has encouraged mosh pits, circle pits and a wall of death.
Fans are taken on a nostalgic journey through Don Broco’s back-catalogue with a rare performance of Fancy Dress to celebrate the (just over) 10-year anniversary of debut album Priorities and Superlove from the, in my opinion, underrated Automatic album.
It’s all intertwined with more recent tracks, including Birthday Party, One True Prince and Bruce Willis, complete with a mask of the Die Hard actor that singer Rob Damiani willingly takes from a fan and slaps on his face.
There’s not a single moment where the band or the crowd let their energy levels drop, it’s a high-octane whirlwind from start to finish and no-one seems ready to put the brakes on, even when the band wraps things up after Everybody, during which frontman Rob climbs onto the shoulders of the crowd.
Of course, we all know that it’s not over until we get an encore, for which the band duly returns, bursting back on stage with the riff-laden Fingernails.
It’s time for the last song and, given that some fans are already whipping their t-shirts off before it even begins, everyone knows what’s coming.
Don Broco finish the night on T-shirt Song, which sees hundreds of people whirling their tops over their heads. It encapsulates exactly what this gig is about, total freedom and fun, a chance to let it all hang out (figuratively speaking).
Tonight marks Don Broco’s first time in Margate, but after deciding that the town is “f***ing sick” and the crowd is “wild” they are determined to come back - but next time, they say, they want to headline the outdoor stage.
With more alternative bands, such as Queens of the Stone Age, Placebo and IDLES, being added to Dreamland’s roster, a gig on the Scenic Stage isn’t outside the realms of possibility for this band.
After tonight, I’m sure Kent fans will be keeping their fingers crossed for Don Broco’s summer return to the seaside very soon.
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Sam Lawrie