45 Grave – Halloween Show – at Safari Sams

With Halloween just around the corner, Bats Over Broadway put on a literally "killer" pre Halloween bash at Safari Sam’s new location in downtown Los Angeles. This was a great opportunity to go check out the new diggs of the newly relocated Safari Sam’s and to also take in a some of the best bands that represent the Goth / Horror rock scene.

First off we have to comment about the new place that Safari Sam’s moved to at the Regent Theater in downtown LA after loosing their lease at the previous location on Sunset Blvd. The new place will hold 650+, is all ages, they have a full bar, smoking lounge area. Parking is a bit more of a challenge thant the free huge lot that was at the Sunset Blvd location, but we were able to find a spot at the lot right by the venue for $5. The short back story on this building is The Regent Theater originally opened in 1914 as The National and then in the 1940’s it became The Regent Theater. The place has sat for almost 10 years after the last tenant left and the main floor is sloped with most of the original gothic inspired ceiling left intact. If you get ahold of 1940’s FBI propaganda film, The Street With No Name, you will see The Regent Theater in the background. All of us at Big Wheel are very stoked about the new venue, so come on down there and prepare for a good time.

Tonight’s show featured the band that says Halloween is everyday of the year,  45 Grave along with Frankenstein, Revlon Dead, Death Party, Drop Dead Beats & Demonia, so talk about a good time. The show included a costume contest for some while others just roll that way all the time, expressing their freedom to do what they want. A serious stand out of the night was Death Party. It had to have been a year or so ago since a staffer with BW had wrote about them on a past show and that appraisal was fairly good, however this writer would have to kick that appraisal way up. Death Party was on their game vs what they were performing like before, which was still good. The guitars and vocals just fit together so well. It almost seemed like a sped up Legal Weapon type sound. After their performance we had asked a few people what they thought and that was when we heard that they had been practicing alot over the past year. During their set they said that a full length CD was in the making, this is certainly a recording you will want to get ahold of.

Sending everyone straight to hell at the end of the night was 45 Grave. For any fan of Goth / Punk / Horror rock you know 45 Grave are part of the pioneering bands of that realm. Fronted by everyone’s favorite death queen, Dinah Cancer, she has not lost her black magic one bit considering that this band goes back some 25 years. The song that just sends chills down your back is when she starts out the song "Evil" with a shrill is worth the price of admission alone, 45 Grave is a must see.
 

For more photos from this show go HERE