“Playing Subterranean has been a long time coming for us,” said bassist and vocalist, Dalton Allison prior to his band, Post Animal, headlining the sold-out Wicker Park venue on Monday, July 10. The show was very much a homecoming for Allison, Jake Hirshland (guitar, keys, vocals), Matt Williams (guitar, vocals), Javi Reyes (guitar, vocals) and Wesley Toledo (drums)— who have been in the wet, sticky center of a summer-length, nationwide tour.
Photo Credit: Rachel Zyzda
Presented by ANCHR Magazine & KickstandProductions, the 17+ show featured a full bill of five acts all in benefit of the ACLU. Right before Post Animal took stage, evening organizer and ANCHR editor, Rachel Zyzda, announced that the overzealous and very sweaty crowd had helped raise over $4,000.
The night had been slowly building to this celebratory moment. Revivalist pysch jams by Condor & Jaybird and Jude Shuma had the psychedelic-wallpaper-clad crowd bobbing and swaying like a lava lamp. To compliment the music, Olivia Oyamada, Emily Schexnayder and Haley Sumnicht (collaboratively known as EO Lightshow) used colored oils and overhead projectors (the same your teacher used in middle school) to cast drippy light and moving patterns on the stage backdrop. This mix of sound and visuals peaked with The Evening Attraction and Post Animal, each ratcheting the dials on their amps and the body temps of the tightly packed crowd.
The venue’s industrial fans did little to cool an enthusiastic head-banging and crowd-surfing group. By the time Post Animal took stage near 11pm, Subterranean was near bedlam. From the opening, riff-heavy stomper (from yet-to-be-released new album) to their heaviest song—by far—“You Were Not There” it was apparent Post Animal—and the crowd—were hell-bent on rocking out.
“In the last year, we’ve realized we wanted to lean more towards heavy rock and rock and roll,” said guitarist and keyboardist Jake Hirshland. “It’s kind of an identity change for us, not a huge change, but definitely a change in identity over the last year.” The shift is evident in their live show. Having seen the band for Water Activity shows at venues such as Schubas and Double Door, the transformation from swaying psychedelic rock to full on rock and roll is striking—but welcomed. All culminating in a Chicago show with enough energy to power an Edison bulb. Post Animal had the crowd in its hairy paw, with kids crowd surfing and romping into one another like moths to said bulb. Beads of sweat flung in the air as heads bobbed. And I left immediately after the closer—for it was long past my bedtime.
Those outside of Chicago can still catch Post Animal with The Evening Attraction on their current tour.
Stay tuned for a full photo gallery of the benefit show by Jennifer Machuca
