Thug Workout

Don Broco

(White Label, 2008)

Let me make this as straight forward as possible: you need to know Don Broco.

There’s a good chance that you may have caught the Bedford quartet at a DTA show over the past six months. The band has been rocking all over the place. If you have you’ll know that you can expect a furiously energetic set. If you haven’t, better get yourself down to a show pronto.

It’s true that ‘Thug Workout’ has been knocking around for a bit but here at DTA Music we’re not too proud to admit that we can be a bit lazy. Besides, better late than never, right?

This is the debut offering from Don Broco post name change (a former incarnation as Club Sex ceased sometime around July last year). Across three tracks it proves to be a solid representation of the band, indulging an almost schizophrenic need to mix and match genres of music. It’s the proverbial Molotov cocktail: ferocious metal guitars with a pop-punk sensibility that’s mashed-up with shouty gang vocals, vocally melodic verses by way of screamo choruses and even, in the case of opening song ‘Wat’cha Gonna Do?’, some sweet female vocals. Not to mention, it’s a bit nu-metal! Sounds messy, doesn’t it?

Actually it works well. Rather than coming across as an ill-fitted jigsaw of influences it lends itself to generating a character and unique style. This is a Don Broco record, and afterwards you’re not going to need to ask again. It’s this cross-genre appeal that sees the band sit as comfortable on a pop-punk bill as a hardcore line-up, or for that matter, a metal show. To be fair, you could probably line the band up with Girls Aloud and Amon Amarth and get the whole damned thing to work. Okay, maybe that’s stretching it a bit much but you catch my drift.

Importantly, ‘Thug Workout’ comes close to capturing the sheer dynamism of Don Broco’s live performance. In honesty it comes up just short, but in this case, close is very close indeed. A well worked blend of rock goodness.

Be sure to check out the awesomeness that is the title track’s promo video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ReQ-1CFWe8

‘Thug Workout’ is available direct from the band.

Don Broco plays the UBSU Sub Club on Thursday 30 July 2009 with Attack! Attack!.

http://www.myspace.com/donbroco