Blackpool’s ambient alternative quartet blanket reveal their rendition of John Carpenter’s Halloween Theme to mark All Hallows Eve. Retaining the icy and haunting piano riff, blanket take the soundtrack to new heights with thundering drums, intricate guitar work and an epic soundscape.
Bassist Matthew Sheldon explains “Since the inception of Blanket, we’ve always seen our music as hugely cinematic. We take great inspiration from the cinematic juggernauts of the silver screen, perhaps none more so than the work of John Carpenter. His use of alternative time signatures, intricate scales and unconventional textures is always something we constantly try to parallel in our music. The high-concept and thoroughly challenging themes within his movies are a source of ever-present inspiration in our work.
As a band, we are all huge cinema fans, in particular, classic horror films. Halloween is one that is ubiquitously important to our evolutions as musicians and cinema fans. We can all vividly remember watching it for the first time and the impact that the synergy between the music and the terrifying actions of Michael Myers had in producing an atmosphere of pure terror and foreboding. We’re hugely excited, especially considering the recent anniversary of this hugely prominent film, to recreate this iconic piece of music and bestow it with our own musical concepts and intentions“.
Movie soundtracks, such as Halloween’s, are key components of blanket’s inspiration, with their aim being to write heavy rock music suffused with the far-reaching, ample emotional resonance demanded of film scores. The cover drops whilst 2018’s sequel to the horror classic screens in UK cinemas. It’s set 40 years on from the original, which introduced the terrifying Mike Myers.
It also anticipates blanket’s UK tour with Zeal & Ardor, which commences in late November throughout December. Dates for the run are:
30th Nov – Bristol, The Fleece
1st Dec – Brighton, The Haunt
2nd Dec – London, Electric Ballroom
4th Dec – Birmingham, Institute 2
5th Dec – Manchester, Gorilla
6th Dec – Leeds, Church
7th Dec – Glasgow, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
Matthew comments, “We’re ecstatic to be joining Zeal and Ardor on their run of UK dates. We relish the opportunity to be on tour with a band who have rejected convention in favour of a truly unique and non-conformist sound. Blanket share their ethos for the unconventional as we have had the same objective to defy expectations at every turn and for us there’s no better feeling than playing our music live, so we just can’t wait to get on the road now!”