After the After Show: Graham Epstein

After, comprised of Justine Dorsey and Graham Epstein, played the House of Blues in Downtown San Diego last weekend. We went to the show and it was awesome. The pair played all the tracks from their latest projects After EP and its follow-up After EP 2, plus a few more. After listening to these songs for much of 2025, we were eager to see the duo perform live, and it's safe to say it was well worth the trek from Hollywood.

This was not a show that people stumbled into, nor a show where the audience just happens to be drinking at the Voodoo Room while a band performs on stage. Every single person in that room pulled up for After, and knew all the lyrics to prove it. The line for the merch table after the show where Justine and Graham were being friendly with fans drew a line that lasted at least an hour.

Following the show, Pookie chatted with one half of After Graham Epstein about their performance, post-tour thoughts, and his cat.

Text by Pookie

Photography by E. Martínez

Pookie: What was your favorite part of the show tonight?

Graham Epstein: I don’t know, hearing everyone sing like every song was insane. That’s kind of a new thing for us. It’s like, I can’t really hear anything [on stage] because I have my headphones on, but whenever I take them off I’m like, "damn". Also the energy is really good in San Diego. And blossom was sick.

It was really dope, as soon as the show started you could tell everyone in the audience was a pretty big fan. Everyone knew the words around me.

It’s crazy to see, we’re so appreciative.

Which song that you’ve played tonight feels the most relevant to you in your life?

Right now? Baroque probably, I wrote that song a year ago. But it feels connected still. It’s the heaviness. I want to make more heavy songs.

What does After do after a show?

We literally go home. I go to my cat. Not when I’m on tour. (Ha)

What’s your cats name?

Otter.

What’s he look like?

Tuxedo. I miss my cat. Every time we’re on tour I have a cat sitter. I do FaceTime him a lot, that’s what I do after shows.

PHOTO BY @sidequestjpeg

What song did you enjoy performing most tonight?

300 dreams probably, yeah.

You guys went straight into that one.

We’re really bad at bantering on stage. We’ll get better at that. It’s always fun to just play the track. Also my guitar was being weird tonight.

You just finished tour, what was the most memorable thing that happened?

It’s hard to think of on the spot. I think Justine would know this perfectly. We played a roller rink, that was kinda crazy. I feel like there was something crazy that happened. I feel like I haven’t fully reflected on it.

What have you got planned for the rest of the year?

This years almost over so I’m just chillin. We’re working on the album for next year, excited to get deep into visuals. Making some music videos for the next songs.