NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
Ever since the original members of Veruca Salt got back together, released a new record “Ghost Notes”, and toured North America. We’ve been eagerly awaiting more news from this incredible band and, while we don’t have a new Veruca Salt record, vocalist/guitarist Louise Post has released her first solo LP “Sleepwalker” and is touring North America once again! Reuniting with former Veruca Salt bassist Nicole Fiorentino and adding guitarist (and producer of Sleepwalker) Matt Drenik, guitarist Randal Blaschke (because the more guitars, the better!), and drummer Roberto Sanchez, she kicked off her tour In Vancouver on June 12th. As she stopped over at The Garrison in Toronto in July 18th, she was in the final leg of her tour.
Opening for Post was fellow LA rock band The Dumes. With vocalist/guitarist Elodie Tomlinson leading the way, they provided a pop of energy to start the evening.
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By the time Louise Post et al hit the stage, the venue was still just a little over half full. I was gobsmacked that, somehow, this show was not sold out. It boggles the mind!! Post was so sweet, talking about her writing process on Sleepwalker and about her family. She did mention that she had lost her voice in Montreal and, although you could notice it earlier in the evening, she seemed to get stronger as the night when on. When they played some of the older Veruca Salt songs, no introduction was needed and the songs did induce some of the more fervent reactions from the audience. Granted, they tended to be some of the more hard hitting songs as well. But her performance on some the newer songs were wonderful, showcasing the more personal nature of the lyrics. The band was also high energy with Fiorentino also delivering beautiful harmonies.
The setlist consisted of nine out of eleven tracks from Sleepwalker and eleven from the Veruca Salt discography. The one record noticeably missing from the set was Veruca Salt’s reunion record “Ghost Notes”, which was very well received at the time. I would have loved to hear “Empty Bottle” and its headbanging chorus! But we can’t have everything. It was still a pretty complete setlist and I enjoyed Post’s recollection of how she came to write Spiderman ‘79. After the main set, the band came back for a four set encore, starting with Post alone on stage with her guitar singing “God I Know”. Just beautiful! They closed out the show with”Hellraiser” in powerful fashion. A great night for all who attended!
Unfortunately, the day after the show, Louise Post announced on social media that she was cancelling the last three stops on her tour due to illness, flying back to LA directly from Toronto. She promised to make up the dates which is good news for all those fans who still need to see their heroine hit the stage at least one more time. Feel better Louise!!
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