DON BROCO and The Home Team Live at The Belasco

Don Broco has hit the US with their 'Amazing Things North America Tour' this fall for their first US headliner in nearly 5 years. The post-hardcore quartet from Bedford made up of Rob Damiani (vocals), Simon Delaney (guitar), Tom Doyle (bass), and Matt Donnelly (drums) have been making a bit of a splash recently as they tour their fourth studio album, Amazing Things. The band is accompanied by The Home Team, Ryan Oakes, Skyler Acord, and The Color 8 on this run. For their Southern California date, they've stopped by the Belasco Theater – a historic venue opened in 1926, located in the heart of Downtown LA.

Starting the show off was The Color 8, a band I morally and legally have to support as a part-time fellow Phoenix resident. Their first few songs had lots of call-and-response segments to get the crowd going, and it was made interesting by the fact that the main vocalist would change consistently throughout the set. They have a good range of sound from songs with slightly jazzier, mid-tempo easy-listening vibes to more bombastic numbers like "Savage Season." All three band members sing incredibly well, and their instrumental technical prowess is top notch. So far, they're one of my favorite groups I’ve discovered through shooting for Rock Insider Press.

Ryan Oakes came out next with an all-too familiar sound that reminded me of the 'Machine Gun Kelly-frat-rap-to-pop-punk' pipeline. I may gain enemies for this, but I don't personally find that style of music as compelling as other styles of rap-rock or hip-hop/alt swirls. It seems very surface level and safe most of the time, and I truthfully feel that it's been done. Don't get me wrong, Oakes' stage presence was good; the audience seemed to connect with him well, and on a technical level, him and his backing band performed marvelously. I even found that his more dance-oriented, jazzy numbers were more of my style (I'm a sucker for a saxophone). But all in all, I don't feel like I'm the particular audience that he's searching for, and that's fine.

I’ve been anticipating The Home Team ever since they went on tour with Honey Revenge, and they absolutely didn’t disappoint. The group's on-stage charisma and sound make it impossible to not dance to, I definitely feel that this band is a must see. I'm a fan of their unique sound, cultivating a nice blend of indie-pop and pop-rock. Their lighting design – while a logistical obstacle course for my photography-wired brain – was a saccharine delight for the eyes.

I didn't know what to expect from Don Broco based on the content of the openers, but when the lead singer Rob Damiani came out in a Belasco branded bathrobe and sunglasses, I knew that it was going to be memorable. Their style varies from post-hardcore, to nu-metal, to rap-rock, and their performance was just as frenetic. The band's energy was infectious, with an immeasurable amount of crowd surfers clamoring over the barricade during their set. They brought their A-game to Los Angeles, and it was a pleasure to watch.

Keep up with Don Broco and the rest of the 'Amazing Things' tour here.

PHOTOS BY ANASTASIA WHITE