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Mischief Night: Houston’s Best Halloween Bash

Photo: Aubrey McCoy

Holiday shows are almost always a gamble for everyone involved.  Those in charge of putting on the show have to contend with all of the holiday trappings alongside getting people to actually show up.  Halloween shows used to be rather common in Houston.  Numbers almost always had a Halloween show back in the day, and this year there are many scheduled shows at different venues for the actual day of Halloween.  However, aside from shows actually on Halloween, there’s a show Saturday October 18th at The Silo called Houston’s Best Halloween Bash that can make you forget about shows on the 31st.  Lots of music, food trucks, craft beer and a costume contest sound like a great way to spend dressed as your favorite ghoul.  And a twenty band lineup and presale tickets for $10.00, is kind of the universe’s way of telling you that you should attend.

Headlining the event, is Houston’s fuzz rockers, American Fangs.  Last year, these guys dropped a pretty great debut album with “American Fangs,” and they’ve been gaining momentum ever since.  High energy rock n’ roll and distorted guitars pummelling from a Marshall half stack, and an energetic live show is the best way to sum these guys up.  They’re definitely appropriate closers on this gig.  They’ll have the synth pop from Houston’s BLSHS perform prior, and they should set the stage for what’s to come.  BLSHS has gotten so much press since FPH reviewed their EP, “Abstract Desires,”  that it’s kind of hard to believe that they haven’t been around for decades.  They’re in the midst of recording their follow up to that EP, so hopefully they’ll drop some of their newer stuff within their dreamy set.  We Were Wolves will also be there to make ears bleed and heads bang.  Their 2024 album, “Wolf House” reminded us that there’s still rock happening in a world full of pop and electronic acts.  In the last year, these guys have gotten on shows with bigger acts and done small tour legs with Dwarves and Local H.  The loud and dual guitar sound from this four piece is as bombastic as rock gets, and their live show is pretty tight and energetic.

Making the show more rounded out, the indie sounds from Houston’s Bang Bagz will be performing.  Bang Bangz have always been the masters of disguise in that they’ve truly evolved from one record to the next, while keeping their core sound intact.  Their recently released, “En Vivo,”  shows the four piece in a live setting, recorded at 90.1.  The strength of the dual vocals live are pretty impressive, and the album is a great four song follow up to their amazing sounding album, “Red City.”  No big Halloween show could be complete without the trippy and future sounds of Houston’s FLCON FCKER.  This guy played Bonnaroo without the help of a manager or an agent last year, and his soon to be released album has everyone in the EDM world on the edge of their seats in anticipation.  The Trimms will also be on hand to take off their shirts and party like it’s time to get drunk and get crazy.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen Dillon perform with his shirt on now that I think about it, but I can say that these guys shred.  I often wonder if any of them went to class in their youth or if they just spent their time practicing guitar; cause’ they play like seasoned veterans.  One of Houston’s best new hip hop artists, Guilla is performing on this event as well.  I have to say that what I really like about Guilla, is that his sound doesn’t have that Screwston feel.  It seems like there’s a crop of Houston rappers who sound like they’re stuck in 2024; but Guilla feels like future rap.  He uses a more EDM style as his backing tracks, and his rhyme style has more speed than that of what Houston’s used to.

Catch Fever will be on the bill to bring their pop rock sound to the mix.  I would guess that you might have heard of them since they dropped their tight and polished sounding album, “Shiny Eyes” earlier this year.  If you haven’t seen them perform yet, you’ve been missing out on one of the hardest working and professional sounding live acts in all of Houston.  Mixing things up, Oklahoma’s Bruce Flea will also be there to play some of their alternative funk rock.  These guys played Continental Club earlier this year, and they were pretty impressive when you consider how young they are.  The two piece pop rock of Fox & Cats will be there to drop some of the infectious sound.  These two don’t sound like a two piece live, they dropped a catchy ep last year called “This Is Your Brain On Love;” and they’re set to release a full length sooner than later.  Bringing slow jams and plenty of different vibes to the show, Yung Slutty will be there to drop some beats and mixes.  Slutty approaches music differently than anyone else in his electronic genre, and his work almost has snippets of nature blended in.  His remix of a BLSHS song added depth and trip hop to a song that had originally more of a synth pop vibe.  The highly energetic live performance of Only Beast will be there as well, to teach any act how a front person should perform.  I don’t know if it’s John’s drumming, Danielle’s immensely intense vocals, or the fact that Pete plays bass & guitar by himself; but they’re kind of a force to be reckoned with live.  They’re so tight, that you wouldn’t know they guitarist was playing bass with his feet if you were blind.  Think Yeah Yeah Yeah’s with more rhythm breaks and Corin Tucker on vocals, if you want the vibe of their sound.  Android Genius will also be there to drop his trippy mix of layered trip hop meets future dance electronica.  I know for a fact that he’s dropping his ep soon, and if you’re lucky, you’ll hear those songs while his lush beats almost force you to get down.

The synth pop from Tennessee’s Another Green World will be throwing his dance rhythms out there for everyone to groove to.  AGW has this very eighties sound to his work with mystical vocals peppered throughout his tracks.  He’s label mate to BLSHS on Synth Records, and as far as I know, this is his first time in Houston.  The old school punk sounds of Houston’s Some Nerve will be there to remind you that punk’s not dead.  I have to say that with all the pop crap punk that’s come out over the years, it was nice to review these guys’ album this year.  It reminded me of the punk rock I grew up with, before Billie Joe Armstrong introduced the Disney sound that’s been emulated to death.  Some Nerve dropped a pretty solid self titled album that is way more Rancid than Blink 182.  The darkwave synth of Memphis’ The Deathless will be there to play his synth based gothic dance sounds.  The Deathless is a new form of goth dance synth that you don’t see very often, like if Depeche Mode loved Nine Inch Nails; and his cover of “Raining Blood” by Slayer, is pretty epic.  If you’re a fan of rockabilly, then Houston’s Fox Parlor will also be there to give you some tonk with your honk.  This four piece has a little more rock and blues than the average rockabilly act, but their live show is like watching Reverend Horton Heat when he was younger.  The lo-fi rock of Thrill and a band called Some Birds will get things started.

This is a pretty safe bet on bang for your buck.  If you get your tickets presale, then they’re $10.00, which is like fifty cents a band.  And, if you couple in that there’s an after party featuring the future bass electro house sounds of Mke and the crazy rhythms of Gio Chamba; you can’t really lose.  Tickets are $20.00 day of the event, alongside a $50.00 VIP option that includes a shirt and private viewing areas with private bars, and the doors are at 1:00 for the all ages show at The Silo.  There’s also a $500.00 cash prize for best costume, and there promises to be plenty of craft beers and food trucks as well.

by David Garrick