Horror rock, goths and Grateful Dead: roundup of Halloween music 2024

There’s just something about Halloween that makes it the best holiday for live music. Both bands and audiences can’t get enough of the unique energy that comes when everyone’s in costume and getting going. There’s a lot of interesting Halloween-themed live music happening this year, so I thought I’d round up some of the highlights.

This year October 31st falls on a Thursday, which means we’ll see a few big events that night and a ton of stuff the weekend before. Let’s start with the night itself. Black Eyes and Neckties are a horror rock band that were one of the biggest acts in the city for a while in the mid-2000s. After a long break, they have performed a few reunion shows in recent years. This time they’re coming together to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first album, Stiletto. This is at Shakedown on Halloween with The Cathoholix and Venenosum.

I don’t necessarily associate the Grateful Dead with Halloween, but they have a pretty spooky name. Local tribute band The Sleepy Alligators have taken advantage of this in recent years with a Halloween event called “The Dead Will Rise” at Boundary Bay Brewery. As this is a very popular event, you should get tickets in advance.

Many musicians and venues appear to have come together on Saturday, October 26th as a semi-official focus of live Halloween music. Boundary Bay will host the long-running annual Misfits tribute called Horror Business that evening. Make.Shift presents the return of the Spooky Covers Show with nine impromptu bands paying tribute to their favorite spooky punk, metal and alternative rock acts throughout the evening.

If you don’t want the music to be scary and you just want an excuse to dress up, Bar Two Eleven is hosting an ’80s tribute night with the Neon Shadows on October 26th, which should be full of colorful costumes.

Leaving Bellingham a bit, there’s also The Takers hosting a hard rock Halloween on Main Street in Ferndale on October 26th, while Buxton’s Analog hosts Brass for an Anacortes Music Project event.

You will see Halloween events almost all week long. The regular Tuesday night swing dance “Lindy at the Leo” at Hotel Leo on Tuesday October 29th features a live band with some top local jazz musicians and I suspect you’ll see some exceptionally good costumes at it.

There will also be a show in the Blue Room on Tuesday featuring student bands from Bellinghome School of Music. I wrote about Energy Pyramid and the unique artistic performances they put on a few months ago. They have two shows this week: October 26th at the Pig House and a Day of the Dead event at the Aslan Depot on November 1st, both great showcases for their instrumental rock with elaborately costumed dancers.

Finally, The Shakedown has an excellent gothic-inspired triple bill with Gallowmaker, Ghost Fetish and Vance Latta in a kind of Halloween evening show on Wednesday October 30th.

When you look at all of these options, no matter your style and scene, there’s no reason not to include live music in your vacation plans.

News

The second edition of the Bellingham Exit Festival is over and I had a great time exploring everything it has to offer. It makes me a little sad that the art installations in the venues won’t be retained, as they were particularly impressive this year. I have more to say about the festival as a whole, but for now I just want to highlight a few shows that surprised me.

When I walked into Bellflower’s set at Ritual on Friday night, I had every intention of just trying out a few songs and then moving on to something else. Their beautiful folk rock captivated me and wouldn’t let me go: perfect harmonies, lead guitar solos that really nail it, and a lot of original songs. I’m really looking forward to hearing more from them.

Gallery: Bellingham Exit 2024

I also didn’t know Alice Longyu Gao, and the little bit I watched online didn’t really prepare me for the breathtaking variety of her live show. She went from DJing with pounding electronic beats to playing a delicate waltz on the harp to singing TikTok-approved pop songs to what I can only describe as techno polka.

In other music news, a new open mic is opening on the first and third Mondays at Bella Ciao, the tavern-like pizzeria at the north end of Railroad Avenue. Registration is at 5:00 p.m. and the music begins at 7:00 p.m. with host David Donohue.

Congratulations to Cat Valley on being selected for inclusion on a very exciting new compilation. Created by a few Boise music lovers, “We Came to Eat” features female-led rock bands from across Washington, Oregon and Idaho. This will be released on vinyl at the end of the month.

Jesse Stanton’s music column, “The Beat Goes On,” appears weekly. Reach him at [email protected]; @JSBhamMusic. Check with individual venues to ensure events are still taking place as planned. Live Music Events in Whatcom County: