The Growlers are one of the more beloved yet underappreciated acts to emerge from California in the past twenty years, and that timeframe becomes even more significant in 2026. This year marks twenty years since The Growlers formed in the early aughts, and officially makes it six years since the Brooks Nielsen-led project performed live together, until today. The Growlers’ 2026 world tour has kicked off at the Northcote Theater in Melbourne, Australia, as the band blasts through a career-defining setlist for their first show in over half a decade.
The Growlers’ touring lineup now consists of Nielsen, guitarist JD Carrera, keyboardist Cole Riddle, drummer Richard Gowen, bassist Max Kaplan, and guitarist Thomas Hunter. The band celebrated their first show back with an extensive 22-song setlist that touched on the many corners of The Growlers’ legacy. They kicked things off with “Big Toe” from their 2014 LP, Chinese Fountain, an album revisited throughout the performance, with the band pulling out songs like “Black Memories” and “Love Test.” The setlist then proudly leaped from one era of the band to the next. More recent releases like the 2025 singles, “Crisis” and “Jack the Knife,” were performed live for the first time, joining “Feel My Funk” from the recently re-released Beach Goth Tapes as songs making their live debut. The Growlers also covered Eddie Noack’s “Psycho” and “Some Velvet Morning” from Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood.
With night one in the books, The Growlers have ceremoniously set off on their first tour in six years. The band will traverse Australia before heading to Europe in March for shows in London, Paris, and Berlin. The Growlers will then begin their trek across North America with stops in Quebec, Houston, Philadelphia, and Las Vegas. You can check out the full setlist from night one and the sprawling 2026 touring schedule for The Growlers below.
Tour dates: https://thegrowlers.com/tour/?2026:
