What happened to The Growlers?
Upon first glance, LA rock band The Growlers seemed to have their career laid out for them on a silver platter. After various albums, tours supporting The Black Keys and Julian Casablancas, and even coining a new genre known as ‘beach goth’, the group were on a steady road to success.
So, where are they now? A simple search will fill you in, but only to an extent. With some basic research, the usual detritus floats to the surface: the group haven’t released an album in five years, nor have they posted on their social media channels since then – but to gain the full picture, you’ll have to dig a little deeper.
Between 2009 and 2019, the band released nine studio albums beneath downtown LA’s seedy neon glow. Forged in the little beach town Dana Point, the band initially started out as a humble duo, bonding over surfing, skating, house parties and the West Coast rock scene. With a revolving door of 11 different members drifting in and out over the years, frontman Brooks Nielsen and guitarist Matt Taylor were the only two members to consistently remain in the band throughout the decade. With that, though, they also happen to be the only two members embroiled in a sexual assault scandal.
In July 2020, Nielsen took to Instagram to issue an apology over the sexual misconduct claims made against himself, Taylor and others associated with the record label Burger Records. He stated: “This week has been a wakeup call about our behaviour at shows, after shows, in interviews. Behaviour that was insensitive, offensive or even improper.”
The statement continued: “I apologise for my actions and for any band members that have hurt, offended or damaged any person or made anyone feel less than 100% safe. I take full responsibility and accountability for the behaviour of all Growlers band members past and present.”
Brooks also apologised to Starcrawler singer Arrow de Wilde after she claimed she was sexually assaulted by a male stripper while joining them on tour. In a public statement posted on her Instagram account, de Wilde kept the details to the bare minimum but recounted an experience she allegedly had with The Growlers backstage at a show in Melbourne. She commented: “While none of The Growlers band members assaulted me directly, they hired someone else to do so for their enjoyment.”
Nielsen acknowledged de Wilde’s allegations, calling it a “lack of judgment” that he “arranged a male stripper as an end-of-tour prank to dance for the great Arrow de Wilde”.
He added: “This was a horrible idea that turned out even worse.”
Nielsen also addressed the fact that fellow band member Taylor “adamantly denies” any allegations made against him and said Taylor was taking “temporary leave from the band”. To add even more fuel to the fire, former session keyboardist for The Growlers Adam Wolcott Smith admitted to an incident of abuse on his own Instagram while on tour with his band Zen Mother.
With more artists speaking out on incidents of abuse and harassment involving the group, it begs the question whether the conveyor belt of past members were never a great fit, or they simply weren’t comfortable with the band’s so-called ‘improper’ behaviour.
So, where are they now?
Since the scandal broke, the majority of members have gone somewhat off-grid.
Brooks now appears to have rebranded himself, releasing a solo album in 2022 entitled One Match Left and playing shows nestled away in darkened corners of suburban California.
As for de Wilde, Starcrawler are still successfully making music and have recently wrapped up a North American tour supporting Japanese band Boris.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
