Live Review : Don Broco + Toy Parlour @ Rough Trade, Liverpool on April 3rd 2026

Don Broco have never been afraid of hard graft. Their route to the top of the UK alt-rock food chain has been paved with constant touring and a clear mandate of building a meaningful relationship with their fanbase. To commemorate the release of “Nightmare Tripping” their first album in five years, they have elected to return to the basement venues from whence they came. As ever suckers for punishment, rather than do one solitary album release show in a small venue, they are doing a whole week of them. This notable endeavour has taken them all over the country, with Rough Trade’s small performance area being the sole North West stop off. As you would expect, the tinny tiny space (capacity 400 max) is completely sold out, and there is a euphoric atmosphere in place from the get-go.

Brighton-based Toy Parlour have been brought along as the opening act of choice for these extra special album release shows, and rather than be seen as an inconvenient obstacle before the main event, they get a really good response. They have forged themselves as a rather impressive USP by having two bassists and one guitarist. This reboot of the rock 'n' roll norm provides their sound with an infectious beat. With 2 bass tones at play, one provides the rhythm and the other adds interesting effects and devices. Rather than coalescing into a unified sound, they interweave in a hyperactive dance. There is guitar, but it is minimal with the heavy lifting done by the pulsating basses. Instead, the guitarist spends most of the time backing up on vocals and providing the most delicious harmonies. When the singer is high the guitarist is low, and vice versa. It is all adorned with marvellous pop sensibilities, and there is something quite hypnotic about their approach.

By the time Don Broco are up, the place is a veritable sweat box. As this tour is to promote the new album "Nightmare Tripping"  it is only fitting that they would kick off with ‘True Believer’ and the record's title track. However, where they do deviate from the album release norm is that they don’t just play most of the new record and bugger off. We get what can only be described as a proper show with six tracks from their newest creation sprinkled across the set, but also a good chunk of bangers from their previous two long players. It doesn’t take long for Rob Damiani to throw himself into the crowd. ‘True Believer’ has barely kicked off, and he is in the pit dancing and singing with the reverential hordes. He is in there for a good few minutes, and it is obvious that he really doesn’t want to retreat to the safety of the stage. In fact, he is back down there again for the fifth song ‘Pretty’ and this time he returns minus his glasses.

From the off, the show is a colossal communal experience. Every lyric is sung, along to, every beat is danced to, and every heavy guitar riff is headbanged to. Even when he is in the safety of his performance area, Rob can still interact with the crowd, as there is no photographer's pit to speak of. He seems over the moon to be in this close proximity to his adoring public. He applies lipstick to a girl in the crowd, and then guyliner to a fella who loudly declares "what about me?". Rob also takes the time to accept presents, t-shirt and banter and communicate with the fans, with a radiant smile permanently etched on his face. It is the kind of experience that gets lost in a larger room and the band make hay with this opportunity to be back in the trenches. 

Proving that Rob is not the only one having the time of their lives, Simon Delaney is relentless with his bouncing energy. He throws constant scissor kicks that land mere millimetres from decapitating the front row. His exuberance does get the better of him, and he loses his balance and ends up in the cymbals and on the drum kick. It is that sort of spontaneous revelry that makes this evening so special. ‘Euphoria’ is meant to be dedicated to a 4-year-old who loves the song but is back at home with the babysitter. In another moment of chaotic beauty, the mum doesn’t have her phone ready in time to record the personalised intro, so Rob redoes the dedication at the end so that she can cut and paste it back to the front of the song. 

It is all delivered at a frantic and furious pace, with the only respite being provided by ‘One True Prince’, where drummer Matt Donnelly takes on vocal duties. Aside from that, it just races by in a frenzied hyperbolic trajectory. “Nightmare Tripping” is by far the heaviest thing they have produced, and the new tracks add to the monolithic weight of the evening. There is a desolate darkness at play that has hitherto evaded their sound. Interestingly, in order to introduce ‘Cellophane’ Rob asks the crowd which one is our favourite of the new bunch. Against the tide, the crowd keep shouting for ‘Somersaults’, a song they had no intention of playing. This proves that no one can predict what floats the streaming public's boat.

Tonight was a fabulous exercise in returning to one’s roots. It proved that Don Broco can simultaneously evolve and stay true to their roots. This is a band that wants to stretch their musical palette but is determined to take their rampant fanbase with them. Interestingly, they are ageing and maturing with their supporters, and together they seem united in a desire to move forward. A brilliant indictment of the unbreakable bond between a band and their fans.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Don Broco + Toy Parlour