This past week in Columbus, Ohio, we wore miniskirts to see Anna Shoemaker open for Mallrat. Now, we’re taking you along for the ride as we recount the best of the show. Here at The Honey Pop, we’re big fans of Anna Shoemaker’s sophomore album Someone Should Stop Her. After transforming from her debut to a softer indie-pop with an edge, Anna has been described as similar to artists like Holly Humberstone, Phoebe Bridgers, and Alanis Morissette. And we’ve loved it since we first heard her.
We had the privilege of seeing her open for Joe P in the same venue last year. Even as the opener, she had a dedicated group of fans singing every word back to her, holding onto center barricade like they had fought to be there. We were admittedly less familiar with her music at the time, and showed up to this show determined to have as good a time as those girls.
And we did! First, Columbus show exclusive artist Kaki hyped the crowd up. Although songs like Gracie Abrams‘ ‘I Love You, I’m Sorry’ and Lizzy McApline’s ‘Ceilings’ don’t sound like typical hype songs, with the right crowd that knows every single word, we promise they are. Afterwards, we found ourselves gripping the barricade (how we love intimate venues).
Anna Shoemaker
A front row seat to an Anna Shoemaker’s performance is something we couldn’t recommend more. Opening with ‘Fields,’ her acoustic set immediately showed off her immense talent. Just her and her guitar, her vocals shined through the first few songs. Of course, including the song she’s mentioned to be her own favorite, ‘Back Again.’
The energy was bound to be high. The garage door to the patio was open, letting in the perfect summer weather. It was the weekend. Everyone was excited to see Mallrat. With so much energy, it makes sense that the crowd behind us was talkative at first. By the end of the first song, however, Anna had reined them in and had groups around us yelling their praise. Between her undeniable stage presence, effortless audience interactions, and dazzling smile, it was impossible to take our eyes off her. Among the hits from Someone Should Stop Her, she even unveiled a brand new song. That being said, don’t ask us anything that happened after she introduced her self-proclaimed “for the girls” anthem, ‘Miniskirt.’ Our two personal favorites, we can’t help but think the ‘Miniskirt’/’Holly’ back-to-back combo was done just for us. Right?
Anyway, we would say Anna left Columbus with plenty of new fans. If the number of guests we saw walking back from the merch table with Someone Should Stop Her records is anything to go off of.
Mallrat
With the lights down, and the crowd sufficiently hyped, Mallrat emerged next. The dreamy opener ‘My Darling, My Angel’ captivated us instantly. Fitting, as she sang like an angel and looked the part, too. It was a pleasure to see the other fans losing their minds, as Mallrat’s energy transformed the room. Not to sound like a Harry Styles fan account in 2014 after seeing One Direction from the back of the stadium, but we swear we made eye contact. Her stage presence was unbelievable, and she made every single person in that venue feel seen. It was as if it was a personal one-on-one concert with her and each person she made eye contact while singing a fan favorite. Or while dancing freely on every end of the stage. She reached to grasp the hands of her fans who looked at her with all the love in the world.
Everyone went wild for old hits like ‘Groceries’ and ‘Charlie’. Both are so different from her most recent album Light hits my face like a straight right, proving that she can perfect any style. And with this big shift, it would be easy to be less enthusiastic about her softer, more indie work. But she seemed passionate about every single song she sang, and excited to share her passion with her crowd.
We were nothing short of obsessed.
We reluctantly left the venue after ‘Love Songs/Heart Strings’ with a ticket signed by Anna Shoemaker (and adorned with a heart), a cute sticker she handed to us when we went up to say hi after her set, and more than a few new favorite songs. Overall, it was a night to remember.
If you want to experience this at once larger-than-life but also intimate show for yourself, we urge you to check out the remaining tour dates here! Then head over to our socials to discuss at @thehoneypop on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ANNA SHOEMAKER:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MALLRAT:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE
