The Growlers were set to make one of their increasingly infrequent appearances this side of the Atlantic on a surprisingly warm November night. In the past few years the group have released a smattering of albums, Chines Fountain, Not Psych and City Club but they have rarely performed in the UK, this time opting for just a sole date in London. Inside the venue there was a mixture of accents suggesting the group had drawn a crowd from around the country, all keen to catch what Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) has done with the group.

City Club divided fans and critics alike when it was released back in September. The album for some fell heavily into a retro, 80s electronic notion. It was somewhat kooky sounding and carried a funk groove within their notoriously robust, desert-garage-psych. For others, Casablancas ruined what didn’t need fixing, his polished production tainted what Brooks Nielsen and co were so damn good at making with their lo-fi husky aesthetic.

The set cut largely from City Club and at thirteen tracks long, there is a fair bite to take. The likes of ‘City Club’, and its chiming guitar jam, ‘Dope On A Rope’ displaying Nielsen’s croon at its finest and ’I’ll Be Around’ with its football chanting chorus stuck out as being highlights. They allowed the crowd to enjoy themselves slightly more than the likes of ‘Blood Of A Mutt’ that unfortunately fell largely upon deaf ears due to a tame execution. This blame doesn't necessarily fall at the feet of the band though but with the sound engineer who, for whatever reason, managed to miss the distinct lack of volume in the guitars. For this reason the songs never carried any charisma or personality but merely quivered at the thought of sounding too brash and energetic.

Where the songs may have missed much of the energy previously synonymous with the group due to poor levels, Nielsen and co certainly made up for it in how they addressed the crowd and appeared onstage. After previously seeing The Growlers in 2014 on tour with Fat White Family, they seemed to carry a slacker, stoner appearance: long hair, unkept moustaches and floppy hats were staples of their image. Now they have smartened up their act with dapper burgundy velvet suits and waistcoats, a look that fits their new sound and ultimately, something that ties their presence as a band together much more.

It was interesting to see where their new sound would fit in with cornerstones of their live set. Songs like ‘Big Toe’ and ‘Going Gets Tough’ stood out in the performance and acted like guiding lights for the fresh material to follow, setting a precedent with the new stuff reaching out and matching it. The older songs were those that had crowds uniting and bug-eyed friends staring and singing at one another. The more eccentric members danced and by danced, I mean drunkenly slinging their better half in some direction with the distant hope they would eventually reappear. Nevertheless, The Growlers have a real knack for generating optimism in even the darkest of corners, as Nielsen sang, “Worry’s a bully / He just won’t let me be / Trying to keep me busy / Tussling and struggling” you couldn’t help but smile somewhere within your own anxieties.

With the dismal week that has shone down on world politics and the tensions that have been felt over the last few months, The Growlers were a fitting reassurance of positivity. Their energy shone throughout as crowd-surfers went tumbling through the likes of ‘Gay Thoughts’ and jived to the ska-infused ‘Dull Boy’ and ‘Someday’. Disappointment at not hearing the likes of ‘Good Advice’ and ‘Humdrum Blues’ were quickly swept aside, the maturity in how they have adapted their newer material to the live stage stood as something far more important than satisfying my selfish desires.

With thick layers of sweat, the crowd departed the sticky Brixton venue. Overpriced beer and not the greatest of sound failed to dampen experiences for many. It’s important to remember that as much as we like to dwell in cynicism about our futures, bands like The Growlers can offer a helping hand away from the elephant in the room.
Tom Churchill

Read our review of City Club here: http://brightonsfinest.com/html/index.php/12-music/1801-the-growlers-city-club

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