For CSUN students looking to squeeze in some spooky festivities before October ended, there was no need to trek to the foggy hills of Universal City and splurge on a last-minute Horror Nights ticket. Instead, all they needed was 10 dollars and a will to support their peers at the annual VOVE Halloween Label Bash.
On Oct. 30, attendees filed into the Burbank venue, Everything. The newly opened creative space, partially operated by CSUN alumni Justin Tinucci and Noah Unterberger, opened its doors on Halloween Eve for a night of fun hosted by the CSUN student-run record label, VOVE.
Upon entering the venue, which is fittingly painted black, the space was set up in a sort of “pick your own adventure” fashion, featuring a scare zone, stage, food and drink stations set up by CSUN’s Music Therapy Association.
Nick Colton, a CSUN alumnus and VOVE affiliate, was on stage earlier in the night, donning a Sid from “Toy Story” costume and performing a haunting, yet engaging, set alongside his backing band. The set included “Fallin,” a hypnotic, almost liquid drone of a song that built in intensity for the chorus.
Colton’s voice seemed to weave through the audience like the fog of an autumn night, drawing an already enticed crowd closer to the purple stage lights, where they all clapped him into the final screams of the song. Colton, whose promising sound could trick a trained ear into thinking this was a Deftones-Jutes collab in all the right ways, was unfortunately cut short mid-set due to a power surge that led to the backing tracks going offline.
“With playing live, you’re always on your toes,” Colton joked.
After finishing the set with a cover song by artist Amira Elfeky and debuting a newer, more personal song to the crowd, Colton relinquished the stage to the next act.
The Junies then took to the stage, wearing Dodger gear as costumes and jumping into their set. The sound was guitar-driven and had an almost cumbia-like rhythm at one point, transitioning into surf rock beats. They also performed a cover song by San Diego band The Frights.
The live music on the mainstage was concluded by the indie rock outfit All Hollow. The five-piece band kept the audience captivated with melancholy lyrics paired with upbeat, precise instrumentals, bringing the music portion of the night to a formal close, save for a DJ set at the unofficial “afters” by Riley Aki.
The scare zone only ran during times of set change to avoid interfering with the performances. Attendees signed release forms with excitement, talking amongst themselves about the artists before entering what appeared to be an all-white dance studio that had turned horrific. Draped in plastic sheets, ala-Dexter Morgan, with scary phrases smeared in red paint, and housing two convincing scare actors in white eye contacts and straightjackets, the quick walk-through was a well-landed effort to implement a scare factor at the event.
The night also included a costume contest, in which participants won various prizes, including VOVE merch, concert tickets of their choice and tickets to Faye Webster at the Walt Disney Music Hall.
Although those in attendance embraced the aim of scaring and dressing up, the theme of the night was an attempt at building community. Adrian Mier, a junior at CSUN and an economics major, was drawn to the show purely out of love for music and Halloween.
“This is my first time coming to anything college-related outside of campus,” said Mier. “After this, I can always go back on the flyer and look [the artists] up.”
Mier, dressed in an elaborate plague doctor mask, was front and center for most of the night, using a prop cane to air-guitar and as a fellow musician, really aimed to connect with the performers. They noted how they enjoyed Colton’s vocals and resonated with the sound and lyrics of the final song, “Dying to Live.”
“It’s about my self-hatred towards myself,” Colton said. “So having other people from the outside looking in, saying good stuff really helps me feel like maybe everything is okay, when in my head I’m going crazy.”
For those looking to jam amongst the VOVE community on campus, the next jam session will be held on Nov. 13. Up-to-date information found on their Instagram.
