In need of some spooky tunes? The Goldstars serve up a tasty Halloween treat 🎃
Halloween and rock’n’roll have been sordid bedmates since the dawn of time. From Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ ‘I Put a Spell on You’ and Boris Pickett’s ‘Monster Mash’ to Rob Zombie’s ‘Halloween (She Get So Mean)’, there’s a plethora of seasonal songs out there to soundtrack any nocturnal celebrations. Adding to the annual spookiness comes this enjoyable collection from The Goldstars.
Throughout the early 2000s, Chicago’s garage punk aficionados gained a sterling reputation for bashing out primitive, hook filled albums such as ‘Gotta Get Out’, ‘Purple Girlfriend’, and ‘The Race EP’. Very much in the vein of bands like the Fuzztones, this band inhabit that glorious dayglo world where fuzzy guitar riffs overlay hypnotic droning organ and primal vocals mine the raw lyrical DNA of rock n roll.
Twenty years have passed since The Goldstars released an album, so it is an unexpected but pleasant surprise to see the band return to the fold with one dedicated to America’s favourite holiday; Halloween. For this aural adventure singer Matt ‘Sal’ Favazza has been joined by Dan ‘The Fox’ Edwards (guitar), Johnny Million (bass), Holly McDowell (organ) and Charles Collings (drums).
Opening track ‘Let Your Freak Flag Fly (It’s Halloween Night)’ has a strong Alice Cooper feel, as Sal’s semi spoken vocals ape the high prince of horror rock, whilst singing about the dilemmas of choosing a costume for the special night. It’s a cracking tune with a memorable riff throughout that rattles along at a frantic pace:
‘Stroll in Hell’ sees Holly’s organ taking centre stage as vintage monsters are to be found at a 50’s dance party. Gabrielle Sutton takes on main vocal duties on ‘Cats, Rats or Wind’, a track that meanders menacingly towards a scuzzy guitar solo and Sal’s impassioned cry of “The house is possessed, something is after me!”
Can real life be scarier than Halloween? The Goldstars certainly think so, on the amusing, finger-clicking swing of ‘It’s Scary’. We’re back in Alice Cooper territory for ‘I Frankensteined U’ and the band’s reimaging of the classic tale:
Chicago rockabilly royalty Ken Mottet narrates a fateful tale of Halloween being replaced with a second Easter by a charlatan politician on ‘The Introduction/No Halloween’. ‘Monsters Go Away’ is the sequel to that immortal party in ‘Monster Mash’, being about the day after, only the guests still won’t go home… Great fun. A car engine starts, tyres screech and we are on our way to ‘Cabin Rd’ as Sal’s vocals move into Jello Biafra terrain over a rockabilly shuffle.
Keeping the humour at the forefront of the album, ‘Leave Me Alone (A Halloween Song)’ imagines someone who had never heard of Halloween being visited throughout the night by an endless parade of trick-or-treaters. The cries of kids yelling “trick or treat” which taunt the narrator will either make you smile adoringly at the angelic cherubs, or quake in fear, depending on your disposition. There’s a pleasing bar room boogie to ‘New Orleans Ghost Tour Night’. ‘Hallowteen’ is the story of a trick-or-treating teenager who is rejected by all the doors he knocks on, sung over a tune that has a very (ironically?) Doors-y feeling. Kudos for including the sound of our old doorbell in the song – the first few times I listened to the track, my other half came downstairs to ask who was at the door? The album finishes with the simple but addictive earworm of ‘Want My Damn Candy’, where the teenager’s relentless pursuit finally wins out.
A Halloween album, with its creaky doors and screams, is always going to be considered a novelty record by certain quarters, but not here. I love trashy rock’n’roll, and this album has an abundance of horrific charm to entertain all your Halloween guests!
‘The Halloween Album’ is out now on streaming services via Mordorlorff Music – links below:
- Let Your Freak Flag Fly (It’s Halloween Night)
- Stroll In Hell
- Cats, Rats or Wind (Feat. Gabrielle Sutton)
- It’s Scary
- I Frankensteined U
- The Introduction
- No Halloween (Feat. Ken Mottet)
- Monsters Go Away
- Cabin Rd.
- Leave Me Alone (A Halloween Song)
- New Orleans Ghost Tour Night
- Hallowteen
- Want My Damn Candy
Follow The Goldstars on Their Socials:
Need more Punk In Your Life?
Meryl Streek, London 100 Club, 8th Oct 2026
Tonight is a cause for celebration on two counts. It’s not just that self-described ‘one-man punk band’ Meryl Streek is on the eve of releasing
EP review: Gorilla Tremors release ‘Gospel According To…’ and preach their rock ‘n’ roll message to the punk congregation.
Gorilla Tremors are wild garage punk rockers who cannot be caged, and prove it with a new 6-track EP! ‘Gospel According To…’ is about the
EP review: Aftrshocks – ‘Get Loud’
Young Dundee trio Aftrshocks properly grabbed my attention on the Rebellion Introducing Stage this summer, and they delivered one of those sets that reminds you
Album review: Slow Faction – ‘Return To The Windmill’
Alright, in terms of ‘I was there’ punk moments, the recent South London Punk Collective all-dayer wasn’t quite up there with the Sex Pistols at
Album review: Crapsons – ‘Sunshine On Keith’
There comes a point in every punk rocker’s life when staying out until four in the morning looking for rebellion stops being as attractive as
Interview: Alex catches up with teenage punks Yee Loi
One of the most exciting new UK bands that we’ve heard in a long time, Yee Loi is a teenage trio, all siblings, who hail
My first gig was The Damned at Hull City Hall a few days after my 16th birthday way back in the mid-eighties. 800 gigs and 1,700 bands later, my love of live music remains undiminished – the thrill of discovering a new band is still one of life’s greatest experiences. My musical tastes cover a wide spectrum, but punk and goth still dominate my listening habits.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
