Don Broco Play SOLD OUT Show in Brighton

Brighton Avenue was abuzz around 5pm Thursday night as a few hundred fans lined up outside Brighton Music Hall.

While it was earlier than most of the events held at the 500 cap music hall, headliner Don Broco and their sold out show were more than enough of a reason for these fans to show up and skip out on work/school a little earlier than usual.

And despite it also being the coldest day of the year, everyone waited patiently until around six o’clock when the doors opened and fans swiftly made their way inside, either to the front of the stage or to the merch tables- praying to score the best spot.

Then, at exactly 6:30, the first band of the night, Selfish Things, took the stage.

Opening with their latest single “Blood,” the Toronto natives immediately got the crowd moving as their heavy rock sounds filled the hall.

“It’s the first night of tour! Thanks for coming out early to see us,” frontman Alex Biro announced. “I know it’s not easy to get here early, so we really appreciate all of you coming out.”

The band’s six song set included a mix of older tracks, along with newer songs from their upcoming album “Logos,” including unreleased “Synaptic” and “Flood.”

“We have our first ever album coming out September 20th. It’s mediocre music from pretty good people,” Biro joked. “We’re like an acoustic meets death-core band not actually death-core at all.”

The band ended their opening set with another unreleased, and never before performed acoustic track titled “Young.”

“This is the final song off of our new album, and I’m probably going to fuck it up,” Biro warned, “We’ve never played it live before.”

But despite their cautious warning, the band’s track had everyone in the crowd swaying to the beat, which was a great contrast to their previously played and heavier songs. The perfect end to their set and beginning for the rest of the bands to come.

Second up for the night were Seattle based The Home Team, a five piece pop-punk band consisting of Brian Butcher, John Baran, Ryan Murgatroyd, Rob Saireh, and Daniel Maston.

Immediately after taking the band took the stage and launched into their track “She’s Quiet,” the crowd began to dance and mosh harder than before, clearly soaking in and enjoying the band’s punk sound.

“This is one of the sickest tours we’ve ever been a part of and it’s an honor to be here,” frontman Butcher shared.

Their half hour set included crowd favorites “Fashion Forward,” “Wade In,” and “Since We Fell Apart.”

The band also made sure to keep not only the crowd’s energy up the entire set, but also their own, as they moved and danced their way around the stage while performing.

And though it was the first night of tour, which normally comes with nerves, both Selfish Things and The Home Team seemed right at home up on stage, playing their hearts out.

Following The Home Team were Boston favorites Sleep On It– who were back for the second time this summer after just completing their own headlining tour last month.

Greeted with the loudest applause of the night, second only to headliners Don Broco, the five piece band took the stage and immediately launched into their track “Hold Your Breath,” followed by crowd favorites “Distant,” and “Disconnected.”

Made up of Zech Pluister, Luka Fishman, Jake Marquis and TJ Horansky, Sleep On It were also joined on stage by touring bassist Zach Hir.

And if Thursday’s show wasn’t special enough as is, being the tour’s debut and also being the first time “Hold Your Breath” and their latest song “After Tonight” were played live, it was also Horansky’s birthday.

“It’s Ted’s birthday so before we sing the next song we have to sing happy birthday,” Pluister announced, before leading the crowd in a birthday song.

The band also took a few moments to plug their new album, which dropped Friday at midnight.

“We have an album dropping at midnight. It’s called Pride & Disaster, and this is one of the first songs we released off of it,” Pluister announced before the band began performing “Under the Moment.”

The band then ended their set with “Fireworks,” before thanking the crowd for showing up.

“It’s the first night of tour and it’s sold out,” Pluister said. “That’s always a good time.”

“Thank you guys for showing up and let’s hear it for Don Broco!”

Following a brief intermission, as house music kept the energy going, the last band of the night Don Broco took to the stage and immediately set the room on fire.

Opening with their song “Pretty,” both the band and the crowd immediately launched into action (no pun intended)- dancing and scream/singing their hearts out.

The four piece British rock band consisting of vocalist Rob Damiani, guitarist Simon Delaney, bassist Tom Doyle, and drummer Matt Donnelly played a fourteen song set, which contained a mix of new and old songs, including their latest release “Action.”

Other tracks played included “Technology,” “Automatic,” and “You Wanna Know.”

“We had a pretty good run for our first show I think. For first shows a lot more shit usually goes wrong,” frontman Damiani joked. “This is our first headlining tour, so thank you all for coming out.”

Throughout the band’s hour long set, energy levels soared, and despite the crowded room and rising temperatures, the audience danced and moshed like there was no tomorrow, even forming a miniature “circle pit” per the band’s request.

And though their set flew by, Don Broco didn’t end the night without an encore.

First playing “Come Out To LA” followed by what appeared to be the crowd favorite of the night.

“This next song is a t-shirt song, and it’s a bonus from our new album. So go get your t-shirts at our merch table and let’s go” Damiani shouted before they began playing the infamous “T-Shirt Song.”

You can catch the rest of the Don Broco tour when it hits a city near you this fall. And be sure to check out our full photo gallery along with each band’s setlists below!

Selfish Things