Last fall, we delivered the unfortunate news that Post Animal—a Chicago psych rock band with Joe Keery (aka “Steve Harrington” from Stranger Things) on guitar—was forced to cancel its November 18 Cactus Club concert due to an injury sustained by a band member on tour. Keery wasn’t even with the band on that tour, which made us wonder whether he was still in Post Animal or trapped in “The Upside Down.”

The band called off what would have been its second Milwaukee show in 2017, but promised to return to Cactus Club the following spring. True to their word, Post Animal is coming back to the Bay View bar on Wednesday, April 18. However, it doesn’t sound like Keery is coming with them this time around.

The Milwaukee stop comes just days before the band releases its debut record, When I Think Of You In A Castle, on Polyvinyl Records. Keery sings on “Ralphie,” the album’s first single, and he played guitar on the album. However, the rest of the band—who are probably really fucking tired of answering questions about their semi-famous bandmate at this point—made sure to preemptively issue a statement before the start of their spring tour.

“In early 2015, Joe joined our band and quickly became one of our best friends. He’s played a vital role in Post Animal and the creation of every musical release we’ve had or planned thus far, including his vocals and guitar work on When I Think Of You In A Castle. It comes as no surprise that our incredibly talented Joe has found success in other artistic endeavors, and for that reason he is no longer an active touring member of Post Animal. We plan to create more magic with him in the future as our fondness for musical collaboration remains strong.”

So there you have it! Post Animal is coming to Cactus Club on April 18. Joe Keery is still technically in the band, but he isn’t touring with them. Assuming you don’t need a Netflix star to convince you to get out to a show, tickets are $12 in advance and $14 at the door. Now everybody is up to speed.

About The Author

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Co-Founder and Editor

Before co-founding Milwaukee Record, Tyler Maas wrote for virtually every Milwaukee publication (except Wassup! Magazine). He lives in Bay View and enjoys both stuff and things.