Rising Cleveland-based punk band Heart Attack Man rode through Milwaukee on the second leg of the Joyride The Pale Horse Tour. After making their way through Detroit, Michigan, to start the second leg of this tour, it was a smooth transition into Milwaukee's newest venue, The Vivarium.
At the heart of downtown, the crowd prepared for an intense pit. The combination of Heart Attack Man, The Dirty Nil, Carpool, and Dear Seattle made the night sky-high with energy for all the bands. They all fit together like glue, a group of bands each falling under their similarly unique subgenre, like a match made in heaven. Fans of each were excited to see their favorites, and of course the headliner, Heart Attack Man. Supporting their most recent album, Joyride The Pale Horse, the five-piece rock band carries influences in emo and punk, creating a really fun environment for fans to enjoy some moshing and crowd surfing.
The first act of the night was Dear Seattle, born and raised in Australia, who are most known for their rise to popularity with songs like “The Meadows” and “Daytime TV.” They had a great presence on the stage. Recently, they had toured around their home country alongside Heart Attack Man. On the second leg of this tour, they made their way into the US to support the band again.
Following was an act I hadn’t heard of before this night, Carpool, but I was surely impressed by their sound. One that stood out to me, “Can We Just Get High?” was super fun to headbang to from the pit. In combination with the pre-sunset light peaking through the skylights in the Vivariums' venue, the vibes were quite fitting for the mix of Midwest emo and punk energy.
Direct support on this tour with Heart Attack Man was The Dirty Nil. I love to see how the headliner brings a variety of music on the road to support them, and each of the three support acts got a full 30-45 minute set on stage. The Dirty Nil’s newest release, Fail in Time, shows off their four newest songs. Many of which made their way into their opening setlist just before Heart Attack Man. Their most memorable moments were super interactive with the crowd. For an intimate show, lead singer Luke Bentham got up close and personal with my camera; he knows how to play to a crowd and the camera. Quite the talented three-piece group I watched perform a high-energy, alternative rock set.
For headliners Heart Attack Man, the sound and lyrics of their new album touch on topics like anti-AI usage in music and battling mental struggles while also having moments that are lighter and more upbeat—classic Heart Attack Man “fun” music. Overall, their new album’s imagery and story come together in their live performance. This holds true in their production as well, as their lighting design is almost strictly purple and orange, just as it is mirrored in their album cover.
Full of non-stop bangers and loads of energy from the crowd, frontman Eric Eagan feeds on that energy and sends it right back into his performance. He smiles to himself as he watches the crowd sing the first words of “One More Song” right back to him, holding his microphone out over the heads in the audience; they recite every lyric. Guitarist Ty Sickels and drummer Adam Paduch work in tandem with the spirit in the crowd and, specifically, the front row to get hyped up for the entire night.
One of the most exciting parts of the night came from one of my personal favorite songs from the band, which seemed to be a crowd-pleaser as well—“Like A Kennedy.” This one got the entire crowd jumping and quite literally crawling all over each other. As crowd surfers broke over the barriers, Eagan grabbed their hands as they passed by him, embracing them as a fan-to-artist connection was formed.
Heart Attack Man’s summer tour is still breaking over the US, and there is time to get your tickets here.
