It’s an Indie-Rocktober on stages all across OKC

Last Updated on October 10, 2023, 8:14 PM | Published: October 10, 2023

October isn’t only about haunted houses and costume contests.

The Halloween holiday definitely lords over much of the month’s event calendar, but even though there are loads of spooky-themed dance parties popping up on venue schedules all over town, it’s also the month where the fall concert season starts properly kicking into overdrive.

This year, October is all about the city’s indie explosion, with alt-rock acts gracing stages both budding and historic across Oklahoma City.

So before you resign yourself to yet another costumed dance party and yet another house mix of “The Monster Mash,” check out this lineup of high-energy rockers and see if any of them scare up some excitement in you.

Labrys w/ Mad Honey – Blue Note Lounge – Friday, October 13th

Two of the best acts of the city’s recent memory sharing the stage on a Friday is a difficult proposition to beat.

It’s been said for a while that Penny Pitchlynn Labrys is one of the state’s best, and her lately unyielding parade of singles – nine tracks dropped over the last year and a half – has gone a long way toward proving that, with her songwriting tighter than ever and her creativity honest lyrics of full display.

Mad Honey, meanwhile, have just dropped a major leap forward in their sound with their debut full-length album “Satellite Aphrodite,” a strikingly darker, powerful take on their usual dreamy shoegaze.

Suffice it to say, this pairing is primed to produce one of the most intense nights of live music of the whole year.

Throw in a DJ set from Donna the Veronica and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better Friday night in October. 

For tickets and more information, visit okcbluenote.com.

Don’t Tell Dena / The Lunar Laugh / Kat Lock – Sailor & the Dock – Saturday, October 21st

These three acts together on a wholly unique new outdoor stage would already be a can’t-miss bill, but the sad circumstances surrounding the evening make it all the more important for any local pop-rock fan.

Both Don’t Tell Dena (feature photo) and The Lunar Laugh have announced that these will be their final performances before disbanding, delivering a pretty crushing one-two punch to the city’s power-pop scene.

Losing Lunar Laugh’s introspective, deeply effective indie and Don’t Tell Dena’s unflinchingly tight, energetic pop-rock on the same night feels like a stark indication of the changing seasons of the local rock scene, but don’t expect it to be a downer of a night.

Not only will both bands be bringing it harder and heartier than ever before, but the effervescent Kat Lock will also be on hand to light a fire under the night.

And don’t worry. As far as we know, Kat’s not calling it quits any time soon.

For tickets and more information, visit sailorandthedock.com.

The Odyssey’s Thriller Night – Resonant Head – Friday, October 27th

If you still haven’t been down south of the river to check out Resonant Head, believe me when I say that you obviously need to, but also that it might just be the coolest possible venue for a raucous, Halloween-themed rock show.

The venue will be providing all the wild lighting, atmosphere, and cocktails, you (presumably) will be providing the costumes and good vibes, and Tulsa’s breakout wunderkind guitar-rockers The Odyssey will be providing the jams, and one would assume, a surprise, holiday-appropriate cover or two.

As soon as Odyssey singer/guitarist Cobey Brown rips his first blistering, blues-rocking solo, you’ll be happy that you decided to skip the also-ran dance parties for the night.

For tickets and more information, visit resonanthead.com.

Palehound – Factory Obscura – Sunday, October 29th

Hot off opening spots for Jimmy Eat World and the recently world-conquering boy genius, Palehound is bringing their emotionally fierce, raw indie-rock to the Wonder Stage at Factory Obscura’s Mix-Tape space.

Describing their sound as “journal rock” for all its naked honesty and stripped-down, angular, big-chord lamentations, Palehound are set to be an excitingly striking counterpoint to the whimsy and artistic fantasy of Factory Obscura’s mind-bending, immersive art space.

Though it might just fit perfectly into Mix-Tape’s underlying shades of teen angst and musical liberation.

Best of all, Labrys will be opening the show as well, giving you yet another chance to catch one of OKC’s best and cranking the emotional intensity of the night up to 11.

For tickets and more information, visit factoryobscura.com.

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