The Growlers

The Growlers were first introduced to me via their surreal, car meets spacecraft transported journey through metallic-noir-insect-infested-galaxies music video for “One Million Lovers:” and what an introduction it was. Their unique blend of surrealist folk, late 60s psychedelic rock influence and lo-fi garage sounds make for a modern day band with an authentic throwback quality that’s quite hard to find. Brooks Nielsen’s voice can take a lot (but by no means all) of the credit for this due to his raspy tones and lazy diction, especially evident on tracks such as “Acid Rain” and “A Man With No God” from their 2009 debut album, ‘Are You In or Are You Out?’ a live rendition of which they performed for Dickies Sounds and can be found on YouTube. As well as the aforementioned “One Million Lovers,” another single from The Growlers’ 2013 album, ‘Hung at Heart’ entitled “Someday” makes for another delightfully folk-soaked, California surf-rock infused track to get your teeth stuck into if you’re not acquainted with The Growlers already. As for seeing them live, I managed to catch their Halloween weekend London show at Scala. All dressed in cloaks and witches hats, the five California boys brought their subtle quirky theatrics and laid back performance style to the venue, playing a mix of crowd pleasers and older songs; keeping the audience both entertained and guessing, a nice compromise from a band with such an extensive repertoire of three studio albums and five EPs to boast of. If you like your surf rock slow but steady and appreciate a varied show, I cannot recommend going to see The Growlers enough.

I love your music and you always put on a great show. I've seen you guys three times and each time you have made sure I had a good time.

On the other hand...I was really disappointed with the venue this time around. I’ve been to this place before, but this time I felt like they didn’t have their shit together. We got there around 7:20 and notice the line was just ridiculous so we decided to go have dinner. As we head to the line at around 8:10 we notice it’s grown even more so we thought OK the show will start soon so the line will move fast. No big deal…we go to shows all the time and we get it. It took them an hour to get us inside and it was pretty cold outside. We finally get to the front and the security SUCKS. Not only did they search me and grabbed my boobs and even the lining of my undies just to see if I had any herbs or paraphernalia. It just made the night even more frustrating after waiting for so long to have someone search you like that. To top it off I finally get in and I can’t even enjoy a nice cold beer on the dance floor. What’s that about….I’m not 15 years old and shouldn’t be punished in the back by bar. I think this place kind of ruined it for us, but we did enjoy the show because we are fans and appreciate good music.

Hope to see you guys soon at a 21 and over event for sure. Loved you at the Bellyup and will keep following your good taste in music.

An extraordinary band at a spectacular venue!
The Growlers did not dissapoint!
With Brooks’ quirky almost awkward but contagious dance moves, his interaction with the crowd, incredibly unique vocals and backed by a band that is super tight, you couldn’t not love every moment!

At this beautiful venue it felt like a holy experience that immersed you into the show!

I got goosebumps when they performed ‘Vacant Lot’ - it was so powerful! The light show was crazy cool and the combination of the visuals and incredible sound echoeing through this old Church made it one of the best gigs ive ever seen! They performed all my favourites including old classics, new releases and some songs that no one has ever heard! Amazing

Halfway through the show Brooks’ microphone split in two (yes his voice is that good) - he laughed, shrugged at the crowd, did a little dance and picked up the pieces to put it back together and continue the incredible show!

To top it all off, my friends and I walked around the area to look for a bar to get a drink when we ended up meeting frontman Brooks Nielson having a drink at the same bar with his friends!! He said they want to come perform in South Africa! Yes

#growl

Riding the psychedelic rock revival, Californian quintet The Growlers have been playing the circuit for over a decade and have enjoyed a large amount of cult success thus far. The boy's sound has outreached from their native land and has been met with a large amount of adoration in the UK where we appear to embrace everything weird and wonderful.

Self describing their sound as 'beach goth' this statement could not ring more true as the band steps out all in black to contrast the hazy lighting and summer themed backdrops. Beginning with older tracks much to the appreciation of the more devoted followers, 'Graveyard's Full' and 'Gay Thoughts' kick things off with a metaphorical bang and have the energy levels high. They capitalise on this and continue to showcase the best selections from new album 'Chinese Fountain' along with tracks from the previous albums and EPs. Demonstrating huge psychedelic riffs and an expert understanding of genre and musicianship, The Growlers are the epitome of cult legends.

It was an amazing show!

Brooks Nielsen was FUCKING AMAZING. His vocals were spot on. Even though I was on the balcony and the audio of the voice wasn't as audible as I hoped it would be. He was a great professional and I would definitely come back to watch him again.

Prior to the concert, I read a lot of bad reviews about the security and washrooms at The Opera House. Yes, the stairs to the washroom look sketchy but the washrooms are in good condition. The security checked our ID and did a very quick pat-down. They were very easy going on people running up on stage. They would just let them back into the floor. Great job by the management staff at The Opera House.

Amazing performance. This band is indescribable. I am so very happy. It's the type of show that just has that afterglow. Ya know? Where you just twirl around your room the next day smiling and groovin' while replaying the songs you just heard the night before. The 9:30 club hosted such an insane crowd. Just the right amount of rowdy. You could feel the love and the intensity beaming through the entire building.

DEFINITELY recommend giving The Growlers a good listen and going to a show to experience it live.

I will 100% be buying a ticket the next time they come to Washington, d.c. (or any other surrounding area)

and p.s. their outfits.... so good.

I've seen The Growlers twice already and they have not disappointed me. Their music is not like any other band I have seen in the past year. They give this vibe of music in the 70s'.
I have seen everyone get up from their seats and just start dancing myself included. Everything they bring to the show is just outstanding and the energy they give people is just impeccable. My favorite songs that they have performed are Good Name, Mama Said, and I'll Be Around. Their set list will make you cry, dance, and bring happiness.

The growlers were incredible last night!
It was just fun. The crowd made me laugh, it was all young people pushing and having a ball but it just made me laugh. I think I saw at least 8 crowd surfers! Brooks' dance moves were unique and got the crowd groovin'. His soulful voice resonated over the crowd flowed into their feet! His unique personality came across on stage. In addition the vision the band has made of themselves was amazing to see in person. This concert was great highly recommend

Ok, so I’ve seen the growlers about 3 or 4 times now and I absolutely love every performance. This one was amazing I’m so happy I was able to go. I loved the decorations, the stage, the crowd was awesome like they usually are. The opening act was cool, brooks was funny and charming. My friends and I made it to the front of the stage and watched everyone. I specially loved the longer set list. Thank you los growlers for all of your hard work, talent, and music.
I hope to see you soon.

By far the best show I've been to in a long time. They obviously played a lot of the their new album which is incredible. But they also had good amount of old tunes mixed in to the set.

They had incredible interludes in between songs. Making you feel as if you were watching The Doors, who I've obviously never seen but I've listened to their old live sets.

I will definitely travel to see these guys play again. Or hopefully they can add Cincinnati to their tour next time.