It’s a hot spring day in Southampton. The Dollyrots & Don’t Panic have rolled into town with Danny Gruff in toe for another night of pop punk fun on their current UK tour. The vibes inside The Joiners are sweaty but immaculate as everyone is here for a good time. There is something else a little bit special about tonight’s show as it has an extra guest in a supporting role.
For one night only Thomas Ian Nicholas is in the house doing a special acoustic show for the amassed crowd. It’s a short but spirited set, that gets the crowd warmed up and in the mood for the rest of the evening’s events. It’s capped off nicely with a rejigged cover of Stacey’s Mom repurposed as Stifler’s Mom as he departs the stage to a crowd full of smiling faces.
Up next is Swansea singer songwriter Danny Gruff, armed with some big tunes and even bigger banter. He manages to win over tonight’s awesome with his heartfelt lyrics and his hilarious jokes and infectious, his shouts out Wrexham player Oli Palmer, chastises the crowd for their singing abilities and brings out a member of the road crew for a guest spot. Overall a fun, passionate and thoroughly enjoyable set from a man who won over more than a few people this evening.
Don’t Panic take to the stage with one of the greatest intro tapes I’ve ever heard. Interloping classic wrestling themes & commentary in a nostalgic throwback. It takes them no time at all to get going as they blast through a jam packed set of a dozen pop punk bangers, hitting all 3 of their studio albums, rolling out heavy hitters like Regret is a Terrible Roommate, Memories and Exits, Black & Blue & White, The Long Way & Fall of 99 all with some glorious stage bantering woven throughout as they discuss Bud Light, eating Twiglets and Marmite and other playful little jabs at the UK. They also bring out Kelly from The Dollyrots for their cover of Time after Time from their most recent covers e.p Under Cover, Vol 2 which the crowd goes wild for.
Don’t Panic manage to pack a lot into what would be considered a relatively short set time. They keep the energy and the spirits high, while delivering high quality tunes and nonstop fun.
It’s up to The Dollyrots then to close the evening out and they do so in style. Bringing a further dose of sunshine to the UK, the rattle through a collection of some of the most sun drenched gorgeous pop punk ever written. It’s been a solid 9 years since this particular writer has seen them in action and they have lost none of their charm or stage presence. Shows like this in venues like this are the environment to see them in where you can soak up every little drop of energy from both the crowd and the band. It’s also high to argue with songs like My Best Friend’s Hot, Alligator, I know How to Party and the closing couple of Dance Like a Maniac and Because I’m Awesome, all played with an enthusiasm and joy that fully shows why they have stood the test of time. It’s practically impossible to have a bad time at a Dollyrots show, but when everything falls into place like it does tonight then it’s pure magic.
A wonderful night of brilliant tunes played by 4 artists firing on all cylinders. It’s officially time to declare that summer has landed and we’ll be listening to nothing but pop punk for the foreseeable future so we can savour this feeling for as long as possible.
9/10
