Going Through It With Eliza McLamb At Schubas
Article and photos by Finley Harrison
McLamb and her band are currently on tour for her new album Going Through It.
On a windy April evening, a line of excited fans spanned the length of Belmont Avenue, waiting anxiously to enter Schubas Tavern. The idea of witnessing the talent of indie rock singer-songwriter Eliza Mclamb up close prompted fans to arrive long before the doors were opened. Chicago was the 14th stop on McLamb’s Anything You Want tour with support from LA-based band Mini Trees. Together, the two performers put on moving and unforgettable sets full of dancing, singing, and even collective screams.
Around 8:00 P.M., Mini Trees were ushered on stage by the cheering of an electrified crowd. Led by frontwoman Lexi Vega, Mini Trees opened their set with “Spring,” a song from their debut album Always In Motion. Mini Trees is truly the epitome of California indie rock music, with a sound resembling the likes of The Japanese House, MUNA, and Clairo. As their set continued, Mini Trees played an array of songs — both new and older. However, the highlight of their set came when they invited Chicago rapper McKinley Dixon to perform a verse on their song “Cracks In The Pavement.” On March 23, 2023, Mini Trees released a remastered version of “Cracks In The Pavement” that featured a verse from Dixon — something Koch expressed made the song better than she could have ever imagined. The audience roared in support as Dixon’s verse began, setting the tone for the rest of the band’s set. Mini Trees ended their set with “Push and Pull,” a release from October 2023. Mini Trees exited the stage the same way they entered, with the support of each of the show’s attendees.
Shortly after Mini Trees departed, McLamb and her band appeared on stage. She began her set as cheers erupted from a sea of fans in shirts that read “I WANNA KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND,” (a reference to her song “Glitter”). “Before,” was both the opening track to her set and her most recent album, Going Through It. “Before” sounds like both the loss of childhood innocence and the hopefulness of knowing better things are on the horizon — it was succeeded immediately by “Glitter.” As the opening notes were played, screams fled the mouths of nearly every member of the crowd. One would be hard pressed to find more passionate fans than the ones who repeatedly yelled the closing lyrics: “That's not what love means / That's not what love means / I say that’s not what love means / I say that’s not what love means” as if the song had be written specifically for them. As the set continued, fans swayed and screamed (when asked to my McLamb herself, who was suffering from a cold and was unable to strain her vocal cords during her song “Doing Fine”). While introducing her song “Salt Circle” from her 2022 EP of the same title, McLamb asked the audience, “Who is here with their best friend?” Which the audience responded to with cheers and hugs between companions. By the sound of it, I must have been the only person attending the show alone. As the song started, my heart instantly ached for my dearest friends. “Salt Circle” is laden with lyrics about loved ones, but the ones I believe to be most moving are, “It doesn’t feel quite right to call you a friend / When we take on new bodies I will scour the earth to find you again.” After playing an older song, “Lena Grove,” and “Older,” a recent addition to the setlist, McLamb and her band closed the show with “Mythologize Me.” The third track on Going Through It, “Mythologize Me” tells of the desire many women have to feel validated and worthy in relationships. The song also deals with issues such as self-worth, identity, and the power dynamics that exist within personal relationships. McLamb’s egress was coated in the cheers of adoring fans, all of whom had just witnessed raw talent and sheer beauty, both sonic and visual, in front of their eyes.
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