Still looking for that perfect last-minute Halloween costume? We've got you covered. The year's spookiest night is almost upon us, and to celebrate the occasion, Exclaim! has put together a list of ten music-themed costume ideas. If you're looking to relive some of the year's musical highlights while simultaneously begging for candy from complete strangers, these costumes ought to get you off to a good start.
Exclaim!'s Top 10 Music-Themed Halloween Costume Ideas:
10. Liturgy
Sure, everyone knows somebody who has applied corpse paint and gone out as a classic Norwegian black metal dude, but why not up the ante and go as a member of the divisive Brooklyn black metal group Liturgy? They don't wear any of the traditional blackened garb, instead opting for T-shirts and pants. It's the world's most subtle black metal costume, made most effective if you can spout off pretentious essays as a hipster black metal apologist.
9. Rich Aucoin
This costume should only be attempted by the ambitious and extremely popular. To be this Halifax-based songwriter, you can dress normally. The catch is that you have to invite more than 500 friends to your party. Only then can your Halloween bash be as epic, absurd and downright awesome as Aucoin's insanely guest-heavy new album We're All Dying to Live. Fittingly, the album comes out the day after Halloween (November 1) via Sonic Records, so you can give it out as a party favour for people who leave after midnight.
8. St. Vincent's Strange Mercy album cover
St. Vincent's third LP, Strange Mercy, deviated from songwriter Annie Clark's usual habit of putting a headshot on her album cover. To recreate this eye-grabbing image as a Halloween costume, just find a piece of thin white rubber and stretch it tight across your open mouth. Bonus points if you carry around a guitar and shred the shit out of it at the same time. Of course, this costume will make you look like a bit of a weirdo and you might get a jaw ache if you do it all night, but we dare you to find a costume that's as cheap and ultra-hip as this.
7. Arcade Fire
Here's the ideal costume for your Cancon-themed party -- go as a member of Canadian award-baiters the Arcade Fire. Think Montreal chic meets the Amish countryside; kind of like the Quaker Oats dude if he was friends with fancy fashion designers. The costume itself will be pretty straightforward, all dress pants and suspenders if you're a dude or old-timey dresses for the girls. But the real icing on the cake is a giant, novelty-sized Polaris cheque.
6. Deadmau5
The world's biggest techno DJ is also a top contender for an easy Halloween costume, as Toronto-based electro dude Deadmau5 can have his look replicated with one item. Sure, forming a bright, large mouse mask might not be the easiest task, but it could turn into a fun afternoon of paper mache with mom. And no matter how the mask looks, everyone will mistake you for the musician if you sit in front of a laptop while a barrage of fake-tanned douchebags fist pump all around you.
5. Snacks the Cat
Best Coast singer Bethany Cosentino's cat Snacks is easily the most famous feline in indie rock. The fur ball has appeared on album covers, got its own stuffie and even been given a Twitter account. So how can you fashion yourself after this superstar cat? Well, Snacks is a portly orange tabby, so all you have to do is buy a Garfield costume and carry around a copy of Best Coast's Crazy for You. For a extra twist, add an astronaut suit overtop and you can be the Klaxons' Surfing the Void album cover. (The Klaxons kitty isn't a tabby, but if you're a cat in a space suit, we guarantee that no one will care.)
4. Handsome Furs
The husband and wife duo of Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry have always favoured racy press photos. Remember those hyper-sexed shots that came out around the time of 2009's Face Control? The ones taken for this year's Sound Kapital are similarly daring. To do this costume, you're going to need some black plastic lingerie, a balaclava and a switchblade. Just don't blame us when you scare everyone in sight and probably get arrested.
3. Damian Abraham
There's really no better Canadian indie dude costume than Fucked Up frontman and MuchMusic VJ Damian Abraham. Start off the evening in some fancy streetwear (ideally from Mishka or Altamont), but soon Hulk Hogan that shit right off your body, ending up in sweat-drenched boxers (mangina optional). Aside from the clothing, a fake beard and MuchMusic microphone will do, although a bong will really round out the look. To get into character, develop an obsessive knowledge of hardcore punk and wrestling.
2. Drake
The world's most sensitive thug can also be your ticket to a charming Halloween costume. Not only has Drake been raking in the female attention for his heart-on-sleeve hip-hop numbers, but he's also developed a web fanbase for his love of the Cosby sweater. That clothing item and a cigar are your visual tickets to Drake-dom, and you can round it out by alternating between regular talking and R&B crooning. The ultimate accessory completes the outfit, however: bring your mom as your date.
1. Flaming Lips gummy skull
This year may very well go down as the year the Flaming Lips went completely insane. They've done all sorts of wacky stuff including: prepping a 24-hour song, releasing a six-hour track with a strobe-light, and creating a 12-part iPhone symphony. Perhaps our favourite of their many hijinks, however, is the USB stick EP that came out embedded in a skull made out of gummy candy. To recreate this awesome idea, just cover your entire head in gummy candy and hopefully figure out a way to incorporate a vagina and marijuana scent. The best part? You won't even have to go trick or treating, since you can just cannibalize your own costume.
Exclaim!'s Top 10 Music-Themed Halloween Costume Ideas:
10. Liturgy
Sure, everyone knows somebody who has applied corpse paint and gone out as a classic Norwegian black metal dude, but why not up the ante and go as a member of the divisive Brooklyn black metal group Liturgy? They don't wear any of the traditional blackened garb, instead opting for T-shirts and pants. It's the world's most subtle black metal costume, made most effective if you can spout off pretentious essays as a hipster black metal apologist.
9. Rich Aucoin
This costume should only be attempted by the ambitious and extremely popular. To be this Halifax-based songwriter, you can dress normally. The catch is that you have to invite more than 500 friends to your party. Only then can your Halloween bash be as epic, absurd and downright awesome as Aucoin's insanely guest-heavy new album We're All Dying to Live. Fittingly, the album comes out the day after Halloween (November 1) via Sonic Records, so you can give it out as a party favour for people who leave after midnight.
8. St. Vincent's Strange Mercy album cover
St. Vincent's third LP, Strange Mercy, deviated from songwriter Annie Clark's usual habit of putting a headshot on her album cover. To recreate this eye-grabbing image as a Halloween costume, just find a piece of thin white rubber and stretch it tight across your open mouth. Bonus points if you carry around a guitar and shred the shit out of it at the same time. Of course, this costume will make you look like a bit of a weirdo and you might get a jaw ache if you do it all night, but we dare you to find a costume that's as cheap and ultra-hip as this.
7. Arcade Fire
Here's the ideal costume for your Cancon-themed party -- go as a member of Canadian award-baiters the Arcade Fire. Think Montreal chic meets the Amish countryside; kind of like the Quaker Oats dude if he was friends with fancy fashion designers. The costume itself will be pretty straightforward, all dress pants and suspenders if you're a dude or old-timey dresses for the girls. But the real icing on the cake is a giant, novelty-sized Polaris cheque.
6. Deadmau5
The world's biggest techno DJ is also a top contender for an easy Halloween costume, as Toronto-based electro dude Deadmau5 can have his look replicated with one item. Sure, forming a bright, large mouse mask might not be the easiest task, but it could turn into a fun afternoon of paper mache with mom. And no matter how the mask looks, everyone will mistake you for the musician if you sit in front of a laptop while a barrage of fake-tanned douchebags fist pump all around you.
5. Snacks the Cat
Best Coast singer Bethany Cosentino's cat Snacks is easily the most famous feline in indie rock. The fur ball has appeared on album covers, got its own stuffie and even been given a Twitter account. So how can you fashion yourself after this superstar cat? Well, Snacks is a portly orange tabby, so all you have to do is buy a Garfield costume and carry around a copy of Best Coast's Crazy for You. For a extra twist, add an astronaut suit overtop and you can be the Klaxons' Surfing the Void album cover. (The Klaxons kitty isn't a tabby, but if you're a cat in a space suit, we guarantee that no one will care.)
4. Handsome Furs
The husband and wife duo of Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry have always favoured racy press photos. Remember those hyper-sexed shots that came out around the time of 2009's Face Control? The ones taken for this year's Sound Kapital are similarly daring. To do this costume, you're going to need some black plastic lingerie, a balaclava and a switchblade. Just don't blame us when you scare everyone in sight and probably get arrested.
3. Damian Abraham
There's really no better Canadian indie dude costume than Fucked Up frontman and MuchMusic VJ Damian Abraham. Start off the evening in some fancy streetwear (ideally from Mishka or Altamont), but soon Hulk Hogan that shit right off your body, ending up in sweat-drenched boxers (mangina optional). Aside from the clothing, a fake beard and MuchMusic microphone will do, although a bong will really round out the look. To get into character, develop an obsessive knowledge of hardcore punk and wrestling.
2. Drake
The world's most sensitive thug can also be your ticket to a charming Halloween costume. Not only has Drake been raking in the female attention for his heart-on-sleeve hip-hop numbers, but he's also developed a web fanbase for his love of the Cosby sweater. That clothing item and a cigar are your visual tickets to Drake-dom, and you can round it out by alternating between regular talking and R&B crooning. The ultimate accessory completes the outfit, however: bring your mom as your date.
1. Flaming Lips gummy skull
This year may very well go down as the year the Flaming Lips went completely insane. They've done all sorts of wacky stuff including: prepping a 24-hour song, releasing a six-hour track with a strobe-light, and creating a 12-part iPhone symphony. Perhaps our favourite of their many hijinks, however, is the USB stick EP that came out embedded in a skull made out of gummy candy. To recreate this awesome idea, just cover your entire head in gummy candy and hopefully figure out a way to incorporate a vagina and marijuana scent. The best part? You won't even have to go trick or treating, since you can just cannibalize your own costume.
