October has arrived. And along with pumpkin spice and grim weather, every trip to Home Bargains now serves as a reminder that Halloween is just around the corner, with its aisles packed with motion-sensor cackling witches and farting skeletons. In the spirit of the season, Big Figure Promotions have conjured a hellishly good treat as they bring Heathen Apostles to The Georgian Theatre, Stockton on Thursday 30th October.
Described as one of “the last men standing” from the legendary LA punk scene of the late ’70s, band founder and guitarist/mandolin player Chopper Franklin has an impressive musical CV – having performed with the likes of The Cramps and The Mau Maus. A meeting of minds between Franklin and vocalist Mather Louth (of swamp-jazz outfit Mather Louth & Radio Noir) led to the formation of Heathen Apostles. The pair were united by a shared love for the darker side of the American West and soon recruited upright bassist Thomas Lorioux (from psychobilly band The Kings of Nuthin’) and violinist Luis Mascaro, forming the band’s core line-up.
Weaving a haunting tapestry of goth-tinged post-punk and smoky Americana, the band conjure a sound that’s both timeless and eerily evocative. With Louth’s sultry, blues-soaked vocals and Franklin’s gritty, hellbilly guitar riffs, their music slinks between minor-chord murder ballads and fiery, foot-stomping anthems – blending the ghostly twang of the Wild West with the snarling edge of post-punk rebellion. Their lyrics drift between chilling campfire ghost stories and sharp commentary on modern political unrest. With eighteen releases in twelve years and a relentless touring ethic, Heathen Apostles fully embrace the “get in the van” (or perhaps, horse-drawn carriage) spirit of DIY punk. There’s certainly no “stomp-clap-hey” here.
Support comes from our own kings of jet-black rockabilly punk ’n’ roll, The Hangmen. With a 35-year legacy, global tours, and thirteen releases – the most recent being 2023’s superb ‘Debauchery in the Mortuary’ LP – frontman Loz Firewalker and crew are headliners in their own right. While Heathen Apostles channel something quintessentially American, The Hangmen bring a curled-lip, hip-thrusting swagger laced with distinctly North Eastern grit.
Tickets, priced at £15,00 in advance, are available at seetickets.com.
