On Saturday, October 19th, The Refinery and Ear For Music join forces to host the first annual Bellmouth, an immersive Halloween experience that makes full use of the outdoor venue’s spacious compound. The event will feature live music from Doom Flamingo (performing a special Queen is Doomed set), Ripe, and The Psycodelics, plus a late night DJ set from Loose Ends.
In addition to the strong lineup of musical talent, Bellmouth will also feature top-notch local performance art, including projection mapping from Lazer Catcher, an aerial, pole dancing, fire-breathing circus from Out On A Limb, and Patch Whiskey doing live art.
“We have been working with Ear For Music ever since The Refinery opened,” venue manager Drew Augustine explains. “We had always tossed around the idea of doing a specific Halloween event that could be one of the few annual Hallmark events at The Refinery.”
The Name “Bellmouth” & The Refinery’s Rail History
The name for Bellmouth was inspired by the railroad history of The Refinery, once the headquarters for Standard Oil and currently sits adjacent to a large rail yard.
“The rail yard is really prevalent,” Drew explains. “During a show, a lot of times there will be tankers on rail right next to the stage. So when coming up with the name, we wanted to pull from the environment, and we ended up leaning more towards the rail history that surrounds the site.”
In railroad terms, a “bellmouth” is the opening of a tunnel or rail structure that opens in the shape of a bell, allowing for easier expansion in the future. This aligns with both the vision for the growth of this event. Rusty explains how the immersive aspects of Phish Festivals, plus Electric Forest, Bonnaroo, and Hulaween, inspired the idea behind Bellmouth, and the name.
“I came up doing Phish festivals, like IT and Lemonwheel,” Rusty says. “When I was touring we would do Electric Forest and Hulaween, and those were kind of the things we talked about. We wanted something that would be tied to the venue, and also tied to the idea of the event itself.”
The Refinery also boasts a rail car as a green room adjacent to the large outdoor amphitheater stage, further tying the venue to its historic roots.
“This is an event that we can put a flag on the ground and let people know what we’re trying to do at The Refinery,” Drew says. Opened in 2021, the venue has quickly become a hotspot for live music in Charleston, bringing some of the most popular touring acts to our city.
“It’s got some really unique attributes and amenities for a venue of our size, which I think is surprising to a lot of people who come here for the first time,” Drew says. “They’re surprised that we have independent restaurants and bars that are open to ticket buyers. You don’t have to just go to a concert bar — You can go to The Whale and get a craft beer. You can go to Cleats and get a full meal.”
The Refinery is also the home of local nonprofit radio station, OHM 96.3 FM.
Queen is Doomed
Doom Flamingo are one of the most powerful live groups based in Charleston, and for Bellmouth they will bust out a special set of Queen covers dubbed Queen is Doomed. The set made its debut at Sweetwater 420 Festival in 2022, and has been performed only a handful of times since then, but never before in Charleston.
“This will be the first and only Charleston performance,” Rusty says, “And they’re not planning to do it again in Charleston, or perhaps maybe ever again.”
Rusty mentions the epicness of the Doom Flamingo live show, and when channeling the theatrical brilliance of Queen and Freddie Mercury, Kanika Moore and Doom Flamingo are set to deliver an extremely powerful show.
“I am beyond excited about this special immersive event happening at The Refinery this October,” Ryan Stasik of Doom Flamingo says. “Queen is one of the greatest bands of all time with a catalog of hits and I’m excited to perform them with Doom Flamingo! Join us!”
Check out Doom’s performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody” at a packed stage during Summer Camp 2022 below.
Queen is Doomed – “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Summer Camp 2022)
Ripe
Los Angeles-based alt-pop group Ripe will co-headline with Doom Flamingo, returning to Charleston for the first time since their sold out Charleston Pour House show in April 2023. The group has had a stellar year so far, including a recent performance at Red Rocks with Michael Franti & Spearhead. Their latest single, “Friend in the Dark”, was released on September 20th.
The Psycodelics
Fresh off the release of the feature-length The Psycodelics The Movie and wrapping up their debut album, The Psycodelics are one of Charleston’s most exciting rising bands.
“We have an album we plan on releasing this year along with a bunch of live shows,” Cam Wescott, frontman and bassist of the Psycodelics says. “We’re shedding all our stuff right now, trying to make it happen. We’ll be getting back from the road, so it’ll be good.”
Conclusion
Don’t miss Bellmouth – an immersive Halloween experience happening at The Refinery on Saturday, October 19th! Tickets are on sale now and available here. A dollar from each ticket will be donated to Rock The Pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month.
