Starcrawler, not so much crawling as assaulting you in the face! This rock/punk/grunge band are always connected in the press with LA, but even though I’m in the UK I can hear them fine!  If you were around the LA scene you may have been aware of this team due to a notorious on stage persona of lead singer Arrow de Wilde. This lass will jump into the crowd covered in blood, steal phones and throw items into the crowd. It’s all in the name of rock n’ roll.

However, this is absolutely not a one woman show. Guitarist Henri Cash(who attended LA Grand Arts High School with Wilde) has been in the band since its outset in 2015, when he was spotted walking around with a tuba! On the bass is Tim Franco and the drum spot was held by Austin Smith who is credited with coming up with the band name. Sadly, Smith, who was there at the outset of the band, left in October 2020 citing the need for more family time.

Post 2020, new drummer Seth Carolina can be heard on the drums for the first time by fans in the new single ‘Goodtime Girl.’ This track  formed part of the soundtrack to the DC comic event ‘Dark Nights: Death Metal.’ It is an interesting track, menacing, and it would have fit quite neatly into the 2019 release of ‘Devour You.’ The buzz for the album was, critically, very positive. For this writer, the standout tracks were ‘ Hollywood Ending‘ and ‘She Gets Around,’ echoing dark lyrics and a guitar sound that reminds the listener of Nirvana or, in places, the more punkier moments of The Runaways.

The enforced time off the road caused by Covid saw de Wilde voice acting for DC comics and doing some work as a DJ.  There are heavy rumours of a new album in the pipeline, stretching the sound out beyond ‘Goodtime Girl.’  With a return to the live stage on the cards too, there is a lot to look forward to.

On the collecting side, those who buy up vinyl would do worse than to check out the 2017 debut 7″ ‘Ants’ on  red/white splatter vinyl with picture sleeve. If you find one in a record fair, hold on to it! There were only 500 made  and its a much watched out for item.

On a more concerning point, we all wish de Wilde well after she was allegedly subjected to a sexual assault in August 2020. This occurred whilst on the road in Australia with US band The Growlers. While her own band were locked out of the dressing room, De Wilde found herself assaulted by a male stripper while members of The Growlers laughed and filmed the event.

It’s clearly highly unpleasant and its totally to her credit that De Wilde has picked herself up and is fighting on.

Good Luck to Starcrawler and let’s get back listening to them in 2022.

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