The hallowed ground that is the Edinburgh Corn Exchange got blessed by the presence of genre-bending rock artists Don Broco and their entourage of support acts, consisting of American hip-hop and prog-rock artist Ando San and British alternative rock band Unpeople. The Corn Exchange in Edinburgh has hosted plenty of massive live spectacles over the years, big and small, from the likes of Trivium and Dropkick Murphys to local day festivals like Scotland Calling. I can say that I am very happy with the venue’s change of flooring since my last visit: the carpeted main room of old has since been torn up and left bare with its concrete base on display, making for far less of a tripping hazard and beer smellscape.

American genre-bending artist Ando San is someone I had never heard of before experiencing his talent live on stage, and I honestly think going in blind was possibly the best experience I could have asked for. His stage presence was incredibly strong, with his entire performance feeling atmospheric and captivating at every guitar strum. Songs emphasised Black empowerment and importance with political lyricism that deserves a platform. The way he made his lyrics flow like butter, blending them perfectly with his guitar, shows the immense amount of skill this man truly has to offer. Think of Kendrick Lamar mixed with Polyphia – an insane mix of two opposite styles that somehow sounded like they were meant to be. Ando San made a statement towards the end of his set that he had just signed with legendary label Sumerian Records and will be releasing his new album Wish You Well with them in 2027. I will certainly be looking forward to listening to those tracks in recorded form!

Ando San (c) Alan Swan

There is so much I could say about second support act Unpeople, but I feel none of it can quite touch on how magnificent their live shows are. I’ve had the pleasure of previously seeing them open Download Festival’s Apex Stage this year at the bright and early hour of 11:00 am, but that early start time didn’t put people off coming down and rocking their socks off. Now, I do find it quite hard to describe their genre, as it is very much a pick-and-mix of different sounds, but if I had to pick, I’d describe them as alternative indie rock with punk influences and some songs soft enough to fit the bill at a pop festival. They were definitely a perfect fit on this line-up, bringing heavier elements such as “Waste”, which cements a chunky riff that plays in variations throughout the song’s entirety.

Then there were tracks such as their top hit “The Garden”, which takes a slower approach and, when played live, builds up to a final chorus delivered after the song has seemingly ended. Guitarist Luke Caley appeared off stage and into the pit to bang out one final refrain whilst a circle pit was orchestrated around him. Every single person I saw around me during their set couldn’t help but move; even the hard-asses at the back with their arms crossed bobbed their heads and tapped their toes. Their set consisted of almost all of their released material, as they currently only have a small EP and a few singles out in the wild. If you can’t quench your thirst for more of these guys, Unpeople’s debut album, We Are Unpeople, lands on 9th October. I know what I’ll be listening to for the next month, as I just can’t get their hooks out of my head.

Unpeople (c) Alan Swan

Now for a band I can’t believe I had never seen live up until now: Don Broco. I’ve been an avid listener of theirs since my teen years, and every chance I’ve had to see them has unfortunately been stopped in its tracks by life – but not this time! I was ecstatic to be going to this gig, and oh boy, was it worth it. Of course, I expected to see a great live performance, but this had more energy, more talent, and more unexpected birthdays than I could have imagined. Genre-experimenting British rockers Don Broco put on a simplistic show with no crazy rigging or pyro – just lights and their talented selves – and that was all they needed to show the crowd what they could do.

Their entire performance was lively from the get-go, opening their set with “True Believers”, arguably their heaviest song featuring metalcore royalty Sam Carter, frontman of Architects (who was not present). This set the pace for the night with the biggest pit I have ever seen at the Corn Exchange, and the night did not slow down from there. The crowd was rough and ready for what the band had in store, which was a balanced setlist of old and new, playing tunes from as far back as their second studio record, Automatic, alongside plenty of fresh cuts from latest release Nightmare Tripping.

Around a third of the way through the night, frontman Rob Damiani announced that it was drummer Matt Donnelly’s birthday and that the entire band had actually forgotten. So they decided celebrating while doing what they love, in a room full of people who love them, was the perfect way to make it up to him – with cake and candles too! (Matt is vegan and the cake was in fact not vegan, so maybe not the ideal cake, but hopefully the atmosphere made up for it!)

Don Broco (c) Alan Swan

While getting ready to play politically coded track “Uber”, Rob made a statement addressing the world we are living in: “Musicians are being booed off stage, pensioners are getting arrested… Free Palestine.” It was great to see the band take this stance publicly, considering recent events in music. The crowd erupted in cheers from wall to wall and floor to ceiling in support, showing the amount of care and drive the fanbase has for standing on the right side of history.

A core moment from the night was getting to see Don Broco play their biggest anthem, “Everybody” – a track that practically everyone has heard at least once, and for good reason, because it is just such a likeable tune. It is memorable from start to finish and had the entire room jumping. I can’t quite say I’ve ever seen a sea of people like it; it felt like the floor was moving everyone in sync, giving everyone a second wave of energy, including the band themselves.

Then came the encore, as the band returned to the stage for the final two songs of the night. First was “T-Shirt Song”, providing the obligatory opportunity to strip off your shirt and swing it around Newport helicopter-style. That was followed by “Hype Man” off their latest record, making sure to keep the blood pumping and the excitement going for the journey home. The energy displayed by the crowd and the entire band will easily suffice until my next gig comes along. Until then, I hope Don Broco keep stomping across stages for a long time to come, taking the gratitude they well and truly deserve.

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Photos by Alan Swan Photography

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