Two top-10 UK albums, famed for their conceptual, high-production music videos, which rack up millions of views, they are one of the biggest rock bands in the UK. Now, back with their fourth album, Amazing Things, it’s …
Don Broco
The band’s drummer and backing vocalist, Matt Donnelly, talks to Faye Lewis about his journey into veganism att Donnelly caught up with Viva! to tell us what it’s like to be a touring band that can’t tour and his ‘non-traditional’ route into veganism. He is a warm-hearted guy and when we discussed his latest album Amazing Things, he is definitely in an upbeat frame of mind. “I’ve really learned to take each year as it comes,” he laughs, “because if you make too many detailed plans, at the end of the year, you look back and laugh because they didn’t happen. It’s the same with music, which is so unpredictable and you never know what’s around the corner – but that’s also the beauty of it.” Matt’s desire to make music was seeded long ago and took root with the band when they were still in school. They grew coltishly from teenagers who travelled to London together to watch gigs, to becoming one of the most exciting hard rock bands in the UK. Anyone who has listened to Don Broco’s musical canon will hear three-to-four-minute reasons why people love them and their songs. “We are a heavy guitar, rock band but when you watch us you’ll see our sense of fun, hope and joyfulness. There is a seriousness behind our lyrics but our music is essentially about uniting and bringing people together.” They seem to play something for everyone – the angry and cheerful alike. Despite having catapulted to the major-league rock stratosphere, Matt reflects on how very grounded they are as a band. In fact,
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increased popularity has only made them appreciate what’s really important. And to Matt, health and veganism are two of those things. His route into veganism was anything but traditional. In September, 2017, the band were on tour, playing sold-out shows across Europe and the US, when suddenly Matt found himself experiencing cramping and abdominal pain. “If I was playing energetic shows or if I was going for a run, basically anything which caused my heart rate to be elevated, I would experience these pains,” he says. “After I returned to the UK, I went to get myself tested and was diagnosed with a rare blood condition called Aceruloplasminemia, a disease which is horrible to spell and even more horrible to have. “There was a period of six to eight weeks where we weren’t sure of my eligibility for certain treatments so I went on a personal journey… I had already wanted to
