A sunny and unseasonably warm October afternoon in Birmingham greeted those of us who made the trip to the UK horror punk event of the year - the return of We Are Horror Records Horror Punk Fest. There's no better way of welcoming in spooky season - a promise of half a dozen great bands from across the country (and further afield), surrounded by fellow enthusiasts of the genre. And so it was that, after traversing the streets of Birmingham looking slightly lost before following three quarters of Oracular to The Flapper (our venue for the night) and indulging in a bit of home-away-from-home comforts with a crisp pint of cider and a vegan burger, that I settled in for the evening in my customary at-the-back-but-not-too-far-back position and awaited the bands.
Now - I've done it again and not taken any photos. This time the phone died. I'm not remotely viewing this thing though, honestly - there's even pictures of my ugly mug at the event this time. I'm tempted again to illustrate the nights events through the medium of my terrible MS Paint artwork - or possibly interpretive dance - but I will save you all from either of those particular horrors and let my words do the talking instead.
Leicester's finest horror punk exports Oracular were first to hit the stage. The band's previous singles have been excellent (and are all reviewed on this very blog) and they are one of the most promising acts in the scene currently, so I was excited to see them live. Covering all of their songs released so far plus some new tracks and a cover, this put the punk in the horror punk with an energetic, sometimes messy (and I absolutely mean that as a compliment) but hugely enjoyable set which kicked off the evenings proceedings with a bang. With only a few gigs under their belts they're already winning over a loyal following and they are a bunch of cool fuckers as well.
It was Hellbound Heist taking the stage next. After just reviewing their latest single this past week, a long overdue review of the band, I was looking forward to seeing them live and they... well they killed it. On record they're good - on stage they are phenomenal. There are few front women or men as engaging with dominant stage presence and as genuinely funny as Melissa Myers, who ate up the deserving adoration of the assembled freaks and spat out a commanding performance. A set of past singles and covers - including, frankly, an inspired bit of Shania Twain x Horror Punk (which deserves a proper release) and a blistering cover of the Blitzkid classic Pretty in a Casket, it was an unmissable second act for the evening.
![]() |
| Not - of course - from this gig! |
Next up was Tricie and the Phantom Punks all the way from Texas (complimented with a German contingent) who took the stage and blew everyone away. This was proper old school horror punk; pit-starting, anthemic, singalong melodic and theatrical punk rock which blasted anyone in the venue into life if they weren't already. There was the... third? (I lost count) Misfits cover of the evening which was a blast and spinning through their previous releases (including my personal favourites 'Date Night at the Morgue' and 'Darling Richie' as well as the excellent 'Ghost Town') they were tight (which was impressive with their European replacements), powerful and a huge amount of fun.
Dead Pleasures 20th anniversary show saw a homecoming of sorts (well, to the West Midlands at least) and a triumphant one at that. As I've only enjoyed the band via the medium of the Internet previously it was excellent to see them live and in the flesh - so to speak - and their short, sharp, melodic horror punk rock aural assaults made the venue bounce (and slam). They've always been one of the best from the UK at doing this and their set was a massively enjoyable and crowd pleasing one; tight but with the chaotic air of punk rock always ready to burst out of the ground and consume everyone. I've always thought on record they were great, but live they showed (and they weren't the only band of the evening to do so) that they are tried and tested masters of the craft. The pit was a bit crazy though for an old man like me. I haven't been the same since being in pits for Capdown and Subhumans in the same week. But that, my ghoulish fiends, is a story for another time...
I've made it very clear that I love das Ghoul on numerous occasions on this blog, and I make no apologies for doing so. Their unique blend of ghoulish synthy terror pop horror punk is one of the real gems of the UK scene, and as the only band of the night I'd seen previously I knew what to expect with this the penultimate set of the night - and they delivered once more. They have more in common in some ways with the overtly steampunk-orientated bands like The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing than with doo-wop influenced horror punk, treading their own path in the scene and bringing a very distinct vibe to proceedings (the vibe being a haunted group of Victorian dolls tapping at your window in the fog). It was a belter of a set spanning their past releases (including all of my favourites, 'Pandora's Vinyl Curse' had me singing along again just like it did in Bristol a couple of months ago) and some new songs which point towards a very exciting next release from the band. They bring a sense of theatre and grandeur to any venue and this gig shows yet again that they deserve to be better known in the wide world of horror punk.
| I'm regretting the no-photos again... ain't stealing shit though, so logo only! |
You need to finish a show like this on a high. Step forward the legends of the UK horror punk scene Zombina & the Skeletones. Despite listening to the band for nigh-on 22 years and counting (or thereabouts) I've never seen the band live; they never quite crossed over into the thriving ska-core heavy UK punk scene of the mid 00s that I was part of and since then my gig going has been sporadic at best, so it was a genuine pleasure and highlight of the evening to finally catch them in person. Delivering a more punk rock orientated set of songs from their prestigious back catalogue they nevertheless had every single person in the venue bouncing up and down with classics and new songs (the last of which closed out the set before the encore and was astonishingly good - next album is going to be an absolute killer); 'Dracula Blood', 'Zombie Hop' and 'Nobody Likes You (When You're Dead)' are all timers and were received with gleeful abandon. It was great to see so many people at the gig who were there for Zombina and who could embrace the wider horror punk world - if the band's forays into various genres (they've never been one to be pigeon holed into a certain sound) get's fresh new blood interested in the scene that's always a good thing. A thoroughly enjoyable end to the night's event delivered by the justified headline act.
And with that the night was over. A chance to pick up some merch (picture disc version of Taste the Blood of...!), one final goodbye to friends old and new and my chariot home awaited. I fell asleep instantly, dreams no doubt filled with what delights Dan at We Are Horror Records is going to bring us next year.
![]() |
| Awesome vinyl! Awesome mug! Awesome CD! Awesome... uhh, random Toria and the Terror picture! |
![]() |
| T-shirt to remember the day! |
Horror Punk is alive and well in the UK.
You can follow the bands on Spotify and various other sites on the following links:
Oracular - Facebook, Instagram, Spotify
Hellbound Heist - Facebook, Instagram, Spotify
Tricie and the Phantom Punks - Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Bandcamp
Dead Pleasures - Facebook, Instagram, Spotify
das Ghoul - Facebook, Instagram, Spotify
Zombina & the Skeletones - Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Bandcamp
And of course none of this would have been possible had it not been for the efforts of Dan of We Are Horror Records. A gentleman and a scholar, he's also dedicated to kicking the UK horror punk scene into life and is bringing the goods! We Are Horror Records are the sort of independent punk label that this country has nurtured for 50 years now (blimey!) and is always the life blood of the community. Go and support your local label (and if you're not in the UK, support anyway and see what we have to offer over here!) in Dan's continued pursuit of releasing the best horror punk has to offer from around the world!
WAHR are on Instagram, Facebook, Bandcamp and of course the site itself! Go buy merch!






















