The Brickbats at the Red Party at Mercury Lounge

Vocalist/guitarist Corey Gorey, bassist Paul Morden and drummer D.W. Friend formed the Brickbats in 1995 in New York City and brought their Halloween-themed stage show to area clubs. After three albums, Morden relocated to California in 2000, and the three musicians joined other bands, putting the Brickbats on hiatus. In 2016, Gorey and Friend reunited and recorded a new album, Return of the Living Brickbats. The Brickbats now consists of Gorey, Friend, and bassist Gregjaw, with whom they had worked in a band called the Brides during the Brickbats' hiatus.

The monthly Red Party at Mercury Lounge majors in underground gothic, darkwave and post-punk music, but it was not a far stretch for the Brickbats to headline there. The three musicians came on stage and performed the opening song wearing large jack-o-lanterns over their heads. The song concluded and they removed the pumpkins to show their faces covered in corpse paint. The band's raw music rocked, bathed in reverb, fuzz and distortion, marrying garage, punk, psychobilly and even surf rock. Some of the songs had horror themes, all with tongue firmly in cheek. The Brickbats' live set was fun that would entertain long after the Halloween parties end.

Visit the Brickbats at www.thebrickbats.com.