Post-Emo’s Friendship With Punk Rock
Article by Natalie Silva, photos by Finley Harrison
A likely duo, Hot Mulligan and Heart Attack Man put on stellar performances at Riot Fest 2024 in Chicago’s Douglass Park this past weekend. Having toured together in 2023, the sets had quite a bit of overlap in their attendees, with many attempting to relive the House of Blues performance they saw a little less than a year ago. From Friday into Saturday, the pits were alive with energy that could only be sourced from the Hot Mulligan and Heart Attack Man fandoms. So, with the festival officially over, it’s time to take a look at what made these sets so killer.
Taking on the Metro stage Friday afternoon was Lansing, Michigan’s very own Hot Mulligan. Giving the staked out Fall Out Boy fans a run for their money, Hot Mulligan got the crowd spinning and sweating. The heat didn’t stop these post-emo boys and they kicked off the set with an energetic performance of “How Do You Know It’s Not Armadillo Shells?”. After the initial excitement from the band and crowd settled down, Tades, the band’s frontman, addressed the audience. He said a few words before asking the classic question: “Where are all my milk drinkers?”. Perhaps confusing to the new Hot Mully fans, but expected from the old ones, the band went straight into “Drink Milk and Run”. One after another, the band played through their hits like “Gans Media Retro Games,” and their most popular, “*Equip Sunglasses*”. The set was fast paced as always, but the crowd kept up. Screaming out all of the lyrics and crowd surfing even when the songs had ended, Hot Mulligan proved to have one of the most engaged crowds at Riot Fest this weekend. The only time the audience was silent was when the band played their new song “Fly Move (The Whole Time),” which had been released just the day before. The crowd listened intently and mellowed out for a whole three minutes before hopping right back into moshing and shouting alongside the band.
Finishing off the set with “John “The Rock” Cena, Can You Smell What the Undertaker,” the crowd erupted in cheers and thanks. Grabbing at air for drum sticks, picks, and set lists, the fans stayed wild for a good five minutes before retreating back to see the rest of Friday’s lineup. Many went on to attend the sold out after show at Metro, while others saved their energy for the next day of Riot, and another great set from Heart Attack Man.
Heart Attack Man hails from Cleveland, Ohio, and has risen to popularity since touring with bands like Hot Mulligan, Spanish Love Songs, and Microwave. On these tours, Heart Attack Man won over crowds with their high energy punk rock songs and endearing lead singer, Eric Egan. Since then, Heart Attack Man has had no trouble drawing its own crowd, and had a fantastic turnout at their early afternoon set the Saturday of Riot Fest. With a jam-packed setlist full of fan favorites, Heart Attack Man performed “Puke,” “Like a Kennedy,” and “Pitch Black,” to name a few. Egan threw water bottle after water bottle into the crowd to cool off the fans from the summer heat, and fire they had created. Anticipation grew as returning fans waited for the inevitable “Where are all my freaks at?” which prompted the final song “Freak of Nature,” a song off of their album of the same name. The crowd begged for more though Heart Attack Man had to say farewell. There is no doubt the band will continue to grow, and Chicago fans will come crawling back the next time they swing through the city. How could they not with their great discography, funny frontman (shoutout ericholdingalbums), and supportive community? Heart Attack Man is a name to remember!
You can listen to Hot Mulligan and Heart Attack Man here!