Happy Halloweens: A Review of Their First-ever Headline Show

That’s right. Halloween has come early for those in London as Justin Hayward-Young and Timothy Lanham headline for the very first time as Halloweens, a show that has certainly been a long time coming.

Hayward-Young and Lanham are the lead singer and guitarist in the English indie rock band The Vaccines, a band with 1.5 million Spotify monthly listeners, along with Árni Árnason and Yoann Intonti. The Vaccines have been on the scene since 2010, and while they haven’t split up, Hayward-Young and Lanham decided in 2018 to start a side project with just the two of them.

Halloweens have only performed once before as a support in 2022 at Glastonbury Festival, with just a single album and a couple of EPs under their wing. However, their recent album release, Opera Singing At The Salsa Bar, means that a headline show was ready to take place.

For a band that has already sustained a substantial following, their first headline show is in a modestly small venue. With a capacity of 220 people, The Courtyard Theatre is the perfect intimate setting that makes a show seem like a private party rather than a concert. If you’re in the front row in this room, you may as well be on the stage, you’re that close.

As their not-so-quietly-obsessed fans anticipate the commencement of the long-awaited show, the stage teases the start with ambient red lighting with white spotlights. The mood is set, the drinks are bought, and the audience is beyond ready.

It’s 9 pm and the lights go down. Lanham and Hayward-Young enter the stage through the backdoor along with David Bardon, who is playing the guitar, and Harry Ling on the drums. Hayward-Young sports a blue shirt and grey trousers topped with black sunglasses, and Lanham is wearing a white shirt with navy blue trousers and an adorable woolly hat.

The show kicks off with Rock Bottom Rock, Colombia Record and Mrs Us, three of their most popular songs that immediately uplift the energy of the crowd. From the get-go, there is not a single person who isn’t either singing their heart out or dancing their socks off. Imagine you are in a crowd of 200 people at a small venue, but the energy is that of an arena with 20,000 people. What an atmosphere, and it continues throughout the 1-hour set.

Diamond Jr is next, a song from their newest album release, and those in the first two rows are singing along with such joy. Even if you don’t know the words yourself, you cannot help but smile watching them.

Concerts bring songs to life, and something that is constantly evident at shows is that live versions are mostly even better than the recorded versions, and this is no exception for Halloweens. The screams of the crowd going “HANNAH, HANNAH, HANNAH, HANNAH!” in Hannah, You’re Amazing are unmatched. How it must feel to be called Hannah at that moment…

Unlike The Vaccines, Halloweens’ music has a softer sound. However, what stays a constant theme is the engaging stage presence Justin Young holds, not to mention his silky vocals that sound just like the record. His crowd engagement never ceases to amaze me. No matter how nervous he may seem in himself, it doesn’t show.

“This is so much more than I expected, it’s crazy,” he says.

What did you expect, Justin? Your shows are never ones to miss!

After three more songs from their 2024 album (Prophets of Nostalgia, Star Wars on the Saxophone and Hiro), there is a transition of energy for the mandatory slow song section of the show. Lanham is on the piano but sits down. The opening notes of Ur Kinda Man begin, and it’s clear this is a special moment because it is a live debut. It’s also a moment where the crowd can focus on Hayward-Young’s beautiful vocals (even if many fans are accompanying him!)

The band then wave goodbye and leaves the stage, quite abruptly. But then we realise what is happening. It’s time for the encore. Fans glance around in anticipation: is their look going to change at all? Yes, it does, Hayward-Young has removed his glasses, and Lanham doesn’t have his hat anymore. They return to the stage beaming from ear to ear. It’s clear that they’re happy with how the show has gone, as they should.

The show concludes in the best way possible with the incredibly fun and energetic What Did I Do To Love and My Baby Looks Good With Another where the crowd crank up the energy even more by jumping all together.

One great thing about a duo band like this is that both members are just as essential to the performance as each other. Hayward-Young may be the speaker for the two but Lanham’s instrumental diversity is beyond commendable. From the guitar to the keyboard to the vocals, he has it all. They are both incredibly talented musicians, and the future for Halloweens certainly looks promising.

Setlist:

1. Rock Bottom Rock

2. Colombia Record

3. Mrs Us

4. Diamond Jr

5. Hannah, You’re Amazing

6. Prophets of Nostalgia

7. Star Wars on the Saxophone

8. Hiro

9. Ur Kinda Man

10. What Did I Do To Love

11. My Baby Looks Good With Another

Check out Halloweens on Spotify here:

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Words and images by Casey Brockbank