The Growlers at Baby's All Right (March 7, 2015)

The Growlers may be from Santa Ana, California, but for the past five nights, the band has taken over Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right for a set of sold out shows. On Saturday night I caught the fourth show of the residency, a very late night set that ran almost to 3 a.m. (or 4 a.m. with daylight savings). It was very much a party all around, with a lively set from openers Broncho.

Broncho had a good year with the success of “Class Historian,” their almost too infectious single from Just Enough Hip to Be Woman. I caught them live for the first time last fall when they played Mercury Lounge. The group are a lot of fun live, packing in a punch of bouncing guitars and pop melodies, even if the vocals of signer Ryan Lindsey are more of hooky sounds, than clear vocals. After catching a set from Will Butler earlier in the night, I was worried about feeling some fatigue, but their lively set kept me energized, and had the rest of the crowd moving along in agreement.

The Growlers’ 2014 release Chinese Fountain may be the most accessible album yet from the purveyors of the sad surf-rock genre that is known as “Beach Goth.” With smartly written songs with cool 70’s inspired grooves, plenty of pop-hooks, and smart-minded lyrics, The Growlers have found a new way to delight. Live, the band radiate with stoned psychedelic elements that oozed through the foggy stage of Baby’s. Older cut “Acid Rain” was a trippy demonstration of the bands power, a middleground between their trippiest pop moments. Frontman Brooks Nielsen is a calm collected cool, perfectly nailing his vocals between two microphones, which were an all too perfect compliment to the blissful happenings.

The 20-plus setlist was full of old favorites as well as the most exciting and engaging of Chinese Fountain. The two-song run of “Good Advice” and title track, “Chinese Fountain,” had me lost in the wave of good vibes. I wasn’t the only one, as the entirety of the crowd at the very packed Baby’s (there was a security guard to the side of the stage, a first for me at the venue) was singing along for the near majority of their surprisingly long set (nearly two hours). No matter how you looked at it, there was no way to be disappointed. They gave their all to the set, not using their residency as an excuse to cut corners.

It was my first time seeing these guys live, but I’m already looking forward to the next. Long live Beach Goth.

The Growlers Setlist:

1. Big Toe
2. Nosebleed Sun
3. What It Is
4. Graveyard’s Full
5. Naked Kids
6. Humdrum Blues
7. Tell It How It Is
8. Dull Boy
9. Row
10. Acid Rain
11. In Between
12. Hiding Under Covers
13. Habit Of Dread
14. Sea Lion Goth Blues
15. Good Advice
16. Chinese Fountain
17. Wet Dreams
18. One Million Lovers
19. Change In Your Veins
20. Gay Thoughts
21. Love Test