For some bands, it is common to tour in New York City, but for others it is a rare occasion. When I heard that one of my favorite alternative bands was coming to NYC, I had to grab tickets because they very seldom tour in the East Coast.
The band I’m referring to is called The Growlers, consisting of 5 members: Brooks Nielsen (lead singer), Matt Taylor (lead guitar), Kyle Straka (guitar), Anthony Perry (bass), and on the drums is Scott Montoya. On October 9, 2015 they played at Irving Plaza in New York, New York.
Before the Growlers came on, there were two opening acts. The first was a band that goes by the name of The Babe Rainbow. Despite an odd name, this band plays amazing music that has an alternative-rock vibe to it. The second opening act, DJ Johnny Basil took the stage shortly after. He performed alone, so it was just him and his music system, which was interesting to watch. I have never seen anything like it before. He was really into the beats he was making and got the crowd’s attention right away with his dance moves!
After both opening acts, The Growlers finally took the stage. They played a solid 2 hours which was amazing because bands like them usually play for only an hour or so. They played songs from all of their albums, but a large number of them were from their most recent album called “Chinese Fountain,” released in 2014. The crowd seemed to enjoy the songs, “Good Advice,” “Going Gets Tough,” and “Dull Boy,” the best of all (a lot of crowd surfing went on during these few songs). Overall, this concert was one for the books. It was held at a small, intimate venue, the crowd had a great energy, and the bands played incredible music that everyone enjoyed.
