Music Monday 29th October 2018

Halloween. Although I didn’t grow up with Halloween, it’s a time of year I’ve learned to embrace since moving to Ireland. Its darkness speaks to me…

There aren’t many Halloween songs although there are lots of tracks that suit the mood of this dark time of the year. Coincidentally, I have often gone away for Halloween to see bands. This year, Halloween is midweek and I have no gigs planned on the day, but it’s all good because I’ve just seen Mallory Knox and We Are Scientists a couple of days ago.

One band I’ve seen around Halloween a few times is my dearly departed Fearless Vampire Killers. I unashamedly love everything about this band, except one thing - they broke up. They played their farewell shows at Halloween 2016, and it was a bittersweet day. Luckily, most of the boys are busy with new musical projects, so I hope I get to see them soon in their new endeavours.

Fearless Vampire Killers, or FVK, was a concept band, and most of their songs were set in the fictional world of Grandomina that their singer-guitarist Laurence Beveridge created. Check out his books - he’s an accomplished author as well as a super-talented musician and a nice bloke.

Thankfully, although the band broke up, their music lives on, and I can still enjoy FVK’s finest moments, such as this one. All Hallow’s Evil is unusual in the sense that FVK’s two singers take turns to do lead vocals in this song, and I always found it adds something special to it. I dare you not to have a good headbang to this!

Video by Rolling Vision Lyrics: I was working in a shop, Selling coffee in the heart of the town, And the Duke would come by with the apple of his eye, But this fruit had a taste for the bad, She liked cash, but wrinkles didn't match, Her addiction to pleasures of flesh, And when Duke found us bedded, he ordered the sheriff, To kindly relieve me my head...