LOUISE POST BRINGS "THE SLEEPWALKER TOUR" TO DURHAM

Louise Post, who is best known as a founding member of Veruca Salt, released her solo debut Sleepwalker on June 2, 2023. She spent most of June and July touring the U.S. and Canada in support of her album. We were stoked to catch this tour when it made a stop on July 11th at The Pinhook in Durham, NC. The Pinhook is a small and intimate venue located right in the heart of downtown Durham.

When we got there that night, there was already a line forming in anticipation of the show. Quite a few fans were excited when they ran in the door realizing they get to be right up front for one of their very favorite front women. The stage is small and only a few feet off the ground, making it an incredible experience for fans.

The Dumes would hit the stage first that night. The Dumes is actually a 5-piece full rock band from Los Angeles. This tour they were only touring as a 2 piece and played small electric set for the crowd. That’s not an easy task getting a crowd excited with only 2 members on stage. Vocalist Elodie Tomlinson is pretty damn electrifying herself, and had no problem connecting with the fans immediately. The Dumes played about 40 minutes with mostly original tunes. They ended on a really awesome cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom” which definitely brought the crowd in. This has everyone excitedly singing along.

When Louise Post hit the stage, the band came out first and Louise would follow a short bit later. Everyone was cheering as she hit the stage. The band started playing “Closer” off of Veruca Salt’s IV. Louise didn’t pick up her guitar during this track, instead she’s dancing and interacting with the crowd. I felt like it was a side fans don’t always get to see. Afterwards she grabbed her mug which read “Louise Fucking Post” on it and addressed the crowd. Louise thanked everyone for coming out and seemed a bit overwhelmed by their reaction.

Louise Post and her band would play a solid 15 tracks, all either off of her album Sleepwalker, or Veruca Salt songs. It actually didn’t feel like the average songs I expected her to play either, it was a good variety hitting every era. To me, that felt more exciting. As a long time fan, I got to hear a lot of “blasts from the past” plus a huge mix of new songs as well that I’d been dying to hear live for the first time. Every track was exciting to hear and Louise sounds absolutely amazing through out the entire show.

They ended the main set playing “The Way We Live” off of Sleepwalker. The band would only be off stage for a few minutes, but this small crowd was chanting, stomping their feet, making all the noise possible waiting on an encore. Louise Post came back out this time carrying a bouquet of roses and some Gatorade. She apologized it was the only drink she could find, but it’s mid-July in a tiny venue and everyone’s hot. She poured it into cups and handed it out to the fans up front to help them cool off. Then she handed out individual long-stem roses to fans as well and thanked them for coming out.

The band would treat everyone to 4 more songs during the encore. First would be “God I Know”, then added 3 Veruca Salt songs “Shutterbug”, “Born Entertainer”, and ended the show on “Hellraiser.” I had looked forward to seeing this tour for awhile and I’d even emailed my editor at one point saying “She’s my hero, dude. I need to see this.” -insert fangirling- This performance was definitely everything I dreamed it would be and way more!! The current tour has ended, but if new dates are added you definitely need to check them out. Meanwhile, don’t miss out on this incredible album.

Grab a copy of Sleepwalker: https://www.elcaminomedia.com/store

Download/stream: https://lnk.to/LPSleepwalker

I’m Music Magazine Photographer Daphne McKinney