Anna Shoemaker Celebrates New Era of Music in Chicago
Photo by Cristian Castillo
Angel wings, sparkly boas and all things vintage; it’s Anna Shoemaker’s world and we’re all living in it. To celebrate her upcoming EP release of Hey Anna, alt-pop darling and Unpublished Magazine sweetheart Anna Shoemaker plays to a sold-out crowd at Subterranean in Chicago on Saturday, May 20. The show started with openers Lemondrop and Chicago native Julianna Joy.
Shoemaker dances her way onto the stage wearing a dazzling, custom-made white jersey with the numbers “666” on the back that signifies her favorite song to perform live off Hey Anna. Like her iconic white silk dress in the “I Think I” music video, Shoemaker dresses from head to toe in vintage with intentional meaning behind all the garments she expresses herself in.
“I love the idea that vintage has such a beautiful sentiment. These clothes have new lives and it’s really cool to think about the journey that clothes have and where they go and whose hands they land in,” Shoemaker said in a previous interview with Unpublished.
She introduces her set by thanking the fans for attending the show and dives straight into a setlist that is intentionally structured around her growth from reactive to reflective in her emotions and songwriting. Fans in the crowd are proudly wearing Shoemaker’s original spray painted, handmade designs and are deeply resonant with her soul-baring chronicles of introspection and growth.
Shoemaker sings with profound depth and heart as she invites fans into her rich, whimsical world of exploring the unspoken truths of our emotions and intense self-reflections.
Exuding an infectious sweetness and charm, Shoemaker opens with “It’s Depression,” singing that she misses her lover and she can’t fight the feelings she has. The set is energetic and Shoemaker packs a hard punch with a clear fan favorite. The intimate energy of Shoemaker’s live performances is unmatched, as every fan in the room screams her lyrics at the top of their lungs – and directly to her face – and is reaching out for her hand so she can serenade them.
Subterranean’s atmosphere feels magical as soon as the first chords for “Holly” play. Another fan favorite, “Holly” is a magnetic indie-pop song accompanied by lighthearted melodies, driving acoustic guitar and soft percussion that follows a confessional around a self-proclaimed art boy who can’t find his phone on the weekends – a story many 20-something-year-olds can relate to. Shoemaker confesses she has been playing it cool in front of someone named Holly in the lyrics, “I told Holly we were high, but we came down / I spilled coffee on my shirt so I wore his out / Last time I was at his place, I was way too weird, I couldn’t stay / I told Holly I was good ‘til you’re around.”
Shoemaker dominates the stage, while being equally silly, wistful and vulnerable throughout tracks like “Change My Mind,” “Silver Cowboy Boots” and “Sick!” Shoemaker dances with fans and lets them wear her boa and sing into her microphone, adding onto the already inviting, warm environment. Attending Shoemaker’s shows feel like you are a good friend of hers due to her engaging stage presence and prowess that captures the hearts of those that aren’t on the dancefloor.
Her undeniable pop hooks and bewitching melodies are best captured in “666.” Shoemaker has previously said it’s her favorite to perform live as it captures the struggles and expectations placed on female musicians and how it’s taken an impact on her mental health. Backed by fuzzy, distorted guitars and a fierce vocal prowess, Shoemaker falls to her hands and knees and headbangs while screaming the lyrics, “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t / I can breathe even when I choke.” Despite Shoemaker’s passion throughout the track, it proves that not all her experiences are of glitz and glam, instead are gritty and soul-baring. While many associate 666 with the devil, Shoemaker reclaims it as an angel number for redirection and a need for change.
“I love performing it [“666”] live, that's like the biggest thing. That's my favorite song to perform live because it's about being a musician – especially being a young female musician. It's about all this bullshit and it just feels so good to sing my heart out,” Shoemaker says in an exclusive backstage interview before the show.
“666” follows in the footsteps of her previous releases such as “I Think I” and “Holly.” Shoemaker’s highly anticipated Hey Anna EP is a culmination of reflective encounters and more concise, defined sounds. Hey Anna is vulnerable, hard-hitting and confessional, as Shoemaker dedicates the project to her younger self and her younger cousin.
The set closer “I Think I” is an honest reflection of Shoemaker’s love and connection to her fans as she has provided them with a safe environment to relax into their emotions and dance their hearts out. Shoemaker interacts with fans the most throughout the closer as she holds hands with them and locks her eyes into theirs – making the experience even more personal. “I Think I” is the final emotional release for Shoemaker as she unburies her past once and for all. She celebrates her flaws, victories and the messiness of her personal and artistic journeys. The entire room erupted in an electrifying chant for the chorus, “I think I loved you for a while.” Shoemaker’s “I Think I” makes the listener want to escape reality, running in an empty field with angel wings and vintage silk slip dresses.
Shoemaker’s performance at Subterranean was a glimpse of the upcoming Hey Anna era. The ten-song performance was nothing short of a cathartic release of emotions for Shoemaker as she releases insecurities and doesn’t allow them to exist or overpower her self-reliance. She is done bottling up her emotions as she invites fans into her confessional realm of romance, healing and growing pains with Hey Anna and beyond. Shoemaker indeed proves this body of work is reflective rather than reactive.
You can’t cut Shoemaker’s angel wings because they will always grow back more luminous than ever.