Howler | Green Door Store, Brighton, 24 January 2012

A review by Gary Marlowe

It’s fitting that when you’re a band named Howler, people make a lot of noise about you. Hotly tipped for stardom, the young quintet from Minneapolis are already better known over here than they are over there. Some say they’re the new Strokes, the NME says their lead singer, Jordan Gatesmith is the 44th coolest person in music and The Vaccines said join us on tour. Indeed, we first saw Howler when they supported The Vaccines in Eastbourne at the end of 2011. Just a few weeks later they were in Brighton headlining their own show in support of ‘America Give Up’ their much talked about first album. Whilst they might have been topping the bill, it was at one of the city’s smallest venues. So why was one of rock’s bright young things playing to just a few hundred people? Well, the answer to that one appeared a couple of days later as it wasn’t just BN1 who had their eyes on Howler at Green Door Store. A review in The Guardian meant it was a very worthwhile evening for the band. So how did they perform? Aided by regular swigs from a shared bottle of Jack, they put in an energetic if a little shambolic display. Rough around the edges they may be, but like in Eastbourne they showed glimmers of having something special despite being hampered by the Green Door Store’s tiny stage and almost non-existent lighting. The highlight of their fashionably short set was the infectious single ‘Back Of Your Neck’ with its jangly beat and singalong chorus. Musically they might not be breaking new ground, but what sets Howler apart from so many other new bands is Jordan Gatesmith. He exudes a certain something, a nonchalance and swagger that says this guy was born to be a rock star. Behind him, the rest of Howler are a tad anonymous, although in Brent Mayes, who at 23 is the oldest member of the band, they do possess a drummer who bashes his kit better than most. The Brighton show marked Jordan Gatesmith’s 20th birthday, by the time he’s 21 he could well be a household name.