The investigation into the attack on The Growl bassist Marc Earley continues as the band have been forced to cancel on their appearance at an international music conference.
Last month, the Fremantle-based band shared an image of a man wanted in connection with the unprovoked attack on the Perth musician that has threatened to end his musical career.
Yesterday, as Sydney Morning Herald reports, NSW Police released the CCTV footage from Oporto restaurant on Oxford Street in Surry Hills where the incident took place at approximately 3:30am after The Growl had finished performing at the Sydney Laneway Festival.
Early, along with two bandmates, had entered the restaurant when a man allegedly began abusing them before blinding the bassist with one hand while grabbing his right hand and snapping it at a right angle, leaving Earley with a broken ring finger and two fractures on the upper knuckle of his playing hand.
While the man fled the restuarant, Earley was rushed to the Prince Of Wales Hospital for treatment, and later in Perth, underwent surgery on his hand, leaving him with a 50% chance of recovery after a year of rehabilitation.
The Police say the man they wish to speak to is described as being aged in his 40s, with an olive complexion, approximately 178cam tall with short brown hair. The CCTV footage shows the man walking up to the fast food restaurant counter and appearing to order food then seated, repeatedly wiping his hands clean.
Anyone with information are urged to contact Police at Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/.
The Growl frontman Cameron Avery (also a member of Tame Impala) launched an online campaign to raise donations to foot the costs of Earley’s medical surgery, with fans flocking to the band’s plight and raising over $20,000 in 24 hours for the injured musician. “What happened to Marc has and will continue to alter the course of his life dramatically.”
Over $28,000 was finally raised before Earley urged Avery to close the Go Fund Me page earlier this month, as Facebook post earlier this month explained.
“Thank you all so so so much for unbelievable the amount of support everyone has given to Marc over the past few weeks,” it reads.
“What happened to Marc has and will continue to alter the course of his life dramatically. It’s an ominous thing to deal with, having the most important thing in your life, the only thing in your life and what you have spent your life working so hard at, taken away from you.”
Avery writes that the donations enabled Earley – who is also a music teacher, film composer, and in-demand jazz bassist – to be treated by an “amazing medical team” and achieved “the best possible result in surgery that they could have hoped for due to the complexity of the injury,” but it is still uncertain if he will regain full use of his finger.
Left: The man NSW Police would like to speak to. Right: The Growl bassist Marc Earley performing at the Melbourne Laneway Festival 2014 (Photo: Len Panecki)
The injuries have also tragically left The Growl bassist out of action for the band’s forthcoming trip to Austin, Texas as one of 55 Aussie bands playing SXSW 2014, while Cam Avery confirms – in a description for some upcoming solo shows – that “The Growl has cancelled their trip to the SXSW music conference in Austin in the coming weeks as well as the other American dates they had planned.”
However The Growl frontman will “still be attending SXSW playing 5 showcases” to exhibit material from a new album he’s been working on. Avery also played a warm-up/fundraiser show last night at Perth venue The Bird to test the new songs and solo format, describing the gig as “the last show Cam or The Growl will play in Perth for some time.”
