The Growlers Stoke Their Fans' Craze in Sold-Out Dallas Show
Photography: Bryan Yalta
Entertaining a sold-out crowd was no issue to California band The Growlers on Thursday February 23 at Trees. The packed venue held tons of intense fans and good vibes to which the band offered a soundtrack to. The fervent night seemed full of surprises which, unfortunately, had to come to an end eventually. The Growlers put out their latest album, City Club in September of last year. The record was produced by Julian Casablancas of the Strokes, who also is the founder of Cult Records--the label under which City Club was released. While the Growlers' songs might emanate a relaxed kind of mood in their studio albums, their live performance seems to create a more frenetic and fun environment, which was exemplified with this particular performance.
Music video for "I'll Be Around' from the Growlers' City Club
From the shrill yells in the audience as the band took the stage, one could tell that the volume of energy would gradually amplify as the band continued to play. And it happened. Somewhere in the middle of the band's set, beach balls, both large and small, were thrown around the crowd until they hit the stage, forcing the band to throw them back at the audience. The balls were promoting the Not So Fun Wknd festival happening next month here in Dallas. At one point, a big ball landed onstage and Growlers lead singer Brooks Nielsen decided to bounce on it for quite a while.
Beach balls being one thing, another interesting aspect of the show was the amount of people in the audience who pushed themselves towards the front of the crowd so that they could climb up onstage to hug Nielsen or to merely dance around with the band until they jumped back down for more crowd-surfing. The band themselves seems surprised at the many fans who wanted a closer interaction with them. In the end, it really just brought happy feelings all around.
Beside some technical difficulties during the show--like the whole band not having a song setlist with them until the third song or the bassist's amp losing power throughout one song--the Growlers seemed to power on through the night. The crowd and band both seemed pleased after the performance--tired but the kind of tired that assures one will sleep well. It's safe to say that a Growlers show is one to not underestimate. You never know what surprises may be awaiting.
The Growlers are currently on a U.S. Spring tour in support of City Club. Go get your tickets if they're not already sold out. Check out some photos from the show below.
