Pigeon Spins Featuring an Interview Bob Barmbrack

Bob Barmbrack - It's Halloween (Hold Your Face and Scream)

"Each Halloween brings the same familiar bunch of songs. Some of these are great records in their own right, but most are songs that are just played at Halloween - they weren’t written as Halloween songs……and they are generally decades old. For Halloween 2025, Barmbrack have emerged from their dungeon with a Frankenstein’s monster of a tune. I think that there is a gap in the market for a straight-to-the-point, hard rockin' Halloween song with an ear-worm of a chorus - and maybe this is it?"

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Interview with Bom Barmbrack

What inspired you to create a brand-new Halloween anthem?

I was at a Halloween event last year and someone pointed out that you only ever hear the same old songs at Halloween. I got to thinking that, surprisingly, there didn’t seem to be any slightly more edgy, rock orientated songs, specifically written with Halloween in mind. I thought that I’d take up the challenge.

How does your new track stand out from the usual Halloween playlist staples?

Once you’ve had ‘Thriller’, ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Monster Mash’ you’re usually then left with songs like ‘Ghost Town’ and ‘Bad Moon Rising’ which are great songs, but with lyrical content that are nothing to do with Halloween. They only qualify as Halloween songs because of a tenuous ‘spooky’ link in their titles. ‘It’s Halloween (Hold Your Face and Scream)’ is an unashamed, hard-rockin’, purpose built Halloween tune.

Why do you think there’s a gap in the market for a true Halloween rock song?

I guess that a ‘serious’ rock band would risk compromising their credibility by releasing a blatant Halloween song. It might end up becoming a bit of an albatross around their neck. Being our first release, Barmbrack have no prior reputation to worry about nor, to be honest, any problem with being defined by this song.

What makes this track the perfect mix of hard rock and spooky fun?

Hopefully, it strikes a good balance. It’s clearly a seasonal song that is meant to have broad appeal, but I like to think that the sound and arrangement have something that may also appeal to the more discerning music fan.

How did you approach writing that ear-worm chorus?

The chorus was the first thing that popped into my head. It’s not subtle, but it worked for the kind of song that I wanted to write. The over-all feel of the song is very loosely influenced by a Bob Dylan track that I was listening to a lot at the time and the chorus fitted in well with that vibe.

What’s the story behind the “Frankenstein’s monster” description of the song?

Lyrically, the song is basically a collection of familiar Halloween tropes that have been put together to make one coherent piece of work. It occurred to me that there was a convenient parallel to be drawn with Dr Frankenstein stitching different individual body parts together to make a functioning monster.

How do you capture the Halloween spirit without falling into clichés?

If I’m honest, I think that I would have to plead ‘guilty’ to accusations of employing a few Halloween clichés for this song! However, I think it’s intention and purpose are very clear and it would be daft to pretend that it is meant to be anything other than a very direct, hard rockin’ Halloween song.

What influences shaped the sound of this release?

I have always been a huge fan of the Velvet Underground and having Irish heritage has also had a big influence on my musical tastes. I think that both of these elements are very evident in this song. Halloween is originally an Irish festival that got exported to the UK, USA and wherever else that you find strong Irish immigrant communities.

How do you want listeners to feel when they blast this tune on Halloween night?

I’d like to think that people will be pleased to have a song to listen to that offers something different to the usual suspects, with a sound that evokes the spirit of the season.

What can fans expect next from Barmbrack after this Halloween release?

I have a few ideas, including a very clear new arrangement in my head for a fairly obscure Velvet Underground song that I’d like to cover. However, I’m reliant to a certain extent on any future releases being self-funding, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that people are as keen to hear a new Halloween song as I hope they are! I suppose that one advantage of creating such a specifically seasonal song is that If it doesn’t land this year, I get a ready-made opportunity to push it again, every year.