Post Animal Perform at San Francisco’s The Chapel

Cruising through the second go-around of their headline tour in support of 2018’s When I Think Of You In A Castle, Chicago-based neo-psych rock band Post Animal know how to bring the heat. We recently caught their show at The Chapel in San Francisco last week.

Setting the mood for the night ahead, fellow psych-rock opener Stuyedeyed (pronounced “Sty’d-Eyed”) and co-headliner Ron Gallo both brought electrifying performances, pumping up the crowd with blazing guitar riffs and hard-hitting drums. Unsurprisingly, mosh pit and crowd surfing mayhem ensued, all encouraged by those on stage. Throughout the night it was common to see some of the performers out in the crowd, enjoying the show just as much as any fan in attendance.

Coming out screaming with the face-melting “Gelatin Mode” to start off their set, it’s clear that the influence of DIY-basement shows— where Post Animal got their start— is alive and thriving. Rife with heavy bass lines and sparkling keys, the transitions from heftier tracks such as “Dirtpicker” to songs with brighter sounds like “Ralphie” and “Special Moment” helped balance out their set, showcasing the band’s new pop-rock sound. Their collaboration on When I Think Of You In A Castle is apparent in their live show, with the band feeding off of each other’s energy and trading off vocals.

This collective effort, which is the band’s trademark, may come as a surprise to some, given that the album almost wasn’t made. Drummer Wesley Toledo explains, “Before this album, we weren’t sure what the future of the band was going to look like. I was considering moving to Los Angeles and Joe [Keery] was off filming Stranger Things. We didn’t know where we were all going but we knew we wanted to make an album with all of us in the same room.” This is also the first album that all the current members recorded together.

The palpable energy the band puts off while shredding in front of a crowd of head-banging fiends is one-of-a-kind, and they waste no time. This alone makes seeing Post Animal live such an enigmatic experience, one that everyone should witness.

Their current tour continues through July with support from Ron Gallo, and is slated to finish at Springfest in Yellow Springs, OH.