House of Vans saved the day once again by putting on an extravagant FREE event on Halloween consisting of live music performances, an interactive art exhibit, beer, and merch.
The event started at 7pm. I arrived early to make sure I would make it inside, since these events close off entry at capacity. I picked up a free bag of merch that included a florescent felt poster, a Hallowolfbat zine, a pin, and a ton of stickers. I turned the corner and noticed an incredible display of amazing hand-mad puppets. These puppets seemed to reach the celling in height. They were of skull, wolf-like creatures created by talented artist, Wolfbat. His display was breathtaking and filled the entire venue.
I waited around for around 30 minutes, admiring everyone’s costumes while waiting for the first act to take the stage. The free bar, complete with 3 Goose Island beer options, began to empty as heirloom doom metal band Lightning Born went on.
Hailing from Raleigh, NC, Lightning Born came out and played a raw show. Lead singer Brenna Leath’s voice echoed throughout the venue as she became the main focus of the set. She sang each word with strength and passion, proving her raw talent and commitment to each song.
As the Lightning Born set ended, I walked outside to the food struck and grabbed a taco to stuff down before the next set, Doomriders. I was excited for this set because I had recognized Nate Newton from famous metalcore band, Converge.
I was able to just squeeze my way into the photo pit for the second set. The Boston-born band had shaken the stage. One song in particular stood out to me—Lions. This track was off of their second album, titled “Darkness Come Alive”. I felt an energy in the crowd as the center of the audience thrashed around the room. Everyone was tired after the intense energy this set had brought to the room.
After the second set, I walked into the bathroom to find a whole lot of Mongolian HU fan girls shrieking with excitement over the upcoming act. They explained to me that they felt that they had a connection to the band through their culture and that was special to them in America, because they didn’t really have any other Mongolian musicians to look up to.
The Hu put on a show, that’s for sure. The outfits, the Mongolian throat singing, the complexity of the sounds of the music all were things that made their set an amazing one. Wolfbat’s creations were brought out and paraded around as the show went on. The band calls their style of music “hunnu rock”, something that I had never heard of before. After seeing this show, I feel like I now know. This was like a rock show, but much more elaborate, and somehow just seemed to carry more of a melody than a traditional rock show.
The show ended, and people filed out of the doors.
House of Vans puts on events like these with somewhat of a frequency, and I’m so grateful for it. Each show is so thought out with so many accommodating features for the audience, that make every show there so special. I look forward to seeing who the House of Vans will host next!