2012 Halloween Party Concert Review!!

Hey everyone, it's time for another concert review, as I was in attendance for local promoter J.D. Pearce's 7th annual Halloween Party! After 6 years at the old Coch's Corner, the party moved to The Algonquin Pub (downstairs from The Rockstar Bar) last night, and to start, what'd I think of the new location as a concert venue? If I had to compare, I'd say it reminded me of a combination of the former Foggy Notions and the old GLOW on Gore Street, maintaining the sectioned layout and casual feel of the former while featuring the mirrored walls and fancier gloss of the latter. You also couldn't hear what went on upstairs at The Rockstar Bar easily, which helps to separate the two venues. For size, the Algonquin seemed smaller than the old Coch's Corner overall, but the standing area for concerts was bigger (especially given the smaller amount of tables in the band area), so the size is a wash to me. Overall though, The Algonquin worked well for a venue, and I hope this gets utilized more often for local concerts! Now, how about the bands?

Opening was the masters of the crash themselves, Sykotyk Rampage, fresh off of their set at the Zombie Walk afterparty last weekend! Their set was largely similar to their previous concert, just with their original lyrics restored to the non-drinking tunes, including tracks like "Sky", "Acreage", and "Bucket of Ham". Those and their drinking songs (like "Drinking on the Weekend" and "Roll A Doobie") seemed to get a positive response, and with better lighting and sound quality, they stood out more as well! The band sounded about as good as you'd expect if you're a fan of Sykotyk Rampage's creative alternative sound, especially with Paul Becker's aggressive bluesy bark and live bassist Tony Briglio's improvingly commanding presence, but there were intermittent issues with the vocals, which had stretches where they weren't audible over the music. Still, Sykotyk Rampage's set last night was a definite improvement, and hopefully they'll be back for a longer show in the near future!

Following them were local punk trio Redundant in their best NOFX attire, though unlike the event advertising, they didn't even call themselves The Brews on stage that I heard. Their NOFX covers were fun, but they also played some original material and some covers of other bands, including some amusing takes on TLC, Eminem, and B.O.B. material that always draw some attention! As always, their self-deprecating banter was in full swing, and they seemed to have fun rocking their punk hits and originals, and both frontman Justin Langlois and the White brothers were playing about as well as I expected, but they could have been tighter on the whole, and like Sykotyk Rampage, there were issues hearing the singing. Fun set though for their second straight appearance at this event, and make sure to see them at the Creepshow-headlined psychobilly concert at The Rosie on the 5th!

Third were Toronto punk quartet The Fairmounts in their own local debut, and in the Halloween spirit, they came dressed up as The Village People, though guitarist Simon Head did amusingly dress up as the wrong type of Indian! Their set was full of what appeared to be mostly original songs like "I Don't Wanna Go To The Hospital", and the increasing turnout of fans was eating up their pop punk onslaught, even starting some brief moshpits! Though not as heavy as his older original singing work in Lion Ride, Mikey Hawdon's singing was controlled and aggressive when need be, and the whole band seemed enthusiastic and ready to roll through the night, including for some Ramones & Misfits covers! Andrew McMullen's drumming was really good as well, he stood out through their set! I'm curious to hear more from The Fairmounts, so hopefully Mikey brings them home more to compliment his cover bands' recent local stops!

The night's last band was horror punk quintet Frightlight, in their fourth straight appearance at this Halloween Party and their first show since opening for The Misfits in Toronto a couple of days ago! Compared to their Zombie Walk afterparty set from last weekend, they mostly played the same material, though fittingly starting with a cover of "Halloween", and they sounded better than at the Zombie Walk and a bit cleaner on the whole! Originals like "Dead Town Everywhere", "Fright Night", and "C.H.U.D." sounded as good as I would expect, and the members collectively shown their talents well, from Rick Styles' ripping guitar solos to Eddie Fright's solid low bass work, and the fans on the floor engaged in some dancing and moshing to follow suit! It was also during their set that a sweet skeleton trophy and a sash went to the best costumes, and while a formal presentation to highlight a number of attendees' costumes would have been neat, the winners looked deserving! All in all, Frightlight built on their recent streak of high profile concerts well last night, and hopefully we'll see them back on stage soon!

Overall, this was another fun installment of this yearly Halloween tradition, and a successful first impression for the series at this new home, and hopefully there's more heavier concerts to come at The Algonquin Pub in the near future! I got a bunch of photos, so click here to check them out or visit our Facebook page, which also has this concert's "Tag Yourself" crowd shot! And yes, I did get a few videos of heavier songs that bands played, so here's Sykotyk Rampage playing their song "Sicked", The Fairmounts covering The Misfits' "Attitude" (followed by their original "Kiddo"), and Frightlight playing "They All Float"!






That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow and our review of Haggith's "Dragon Joy Ride" by Halloween! Thanks everyone!