Bands-as-bands cover shows, especially on Halloween, are nothing new. We’re not cynical enough to say these shows aren’t fun — they always are, honestly — but the Tubby Dog’s all-local bash on Saturday, October 30 promises next-level throwback delight, with Grown-Ups performing the best of Blink 182’s Dude Ranch, Downers reinterpreting Buzzcocks’ Singles Going Steady and Topless Mongos performing GG Allin songs.

“All the best songs have already been written,” laughs Grown-Ups singer-guitarist Josiah Hughes, who says he plans on getting a Tom-and-Mark-themed lip tattoo. “And they’re all on Dude Ranch.”

“I think people, on Halloween, tend to take things too seriously and cover things that they think are cool,” he continues. “Everyone in the world likes the Misfits, or whatever. Blink 182 is such a dumb band, and everyone in the world hates them. But we love them! It’s just a really fun way to get into people’s faces with corniness.”

And the Mongos’ Devon Giancarlo plans on getting in people’s faces in other ways. Dressed as GG Allin on “the brink of death,” he says the band will seek to re-create Allin’s shit-and-piss smeared live show (something he says “we’ve been preparing for our lives to play”).

“It’s going to be a hard PG-13,” he chuckles. “In the (controversial Italian horror) movie Salo, they used orange marmalade and food colouring. Everything will be food-based. People will be eating hot dogs, but whatever gets on their food will just add to the culinary experience.”

And that’s not even the only bands-as-bands show happening. Also on October 30, Broken City, on top of its usual dance-floor-shaking Saturday night activities, will present Human Fly. The band will be playing Cramps covers all night long — which, even if they aren’t Samhain or Danzig songs, are a close second best. And that doesn’t mean that you can’t rock a devil-lock to the show, either.

The Saturday night festivities don’t stop there. In fact, the Palomino hosts Palloween, with Montreal indie-pop act Winter Gloves, Axis of Conversation and beloved locals The Shagbots. The Uptown-Marquee room, on the other hand, will host rockabilly act Eve Hell and the Razors, Crescent Heights and beloved local ghoul-punk act Forbidden Dimension (and the show will also have an evil dictator theme — be warned). Or, for the more metal-inclined, Black Earth, Treeburning and Frightenstein play at Vern’s. And if there’s a time to get in touch with your inner metalhead, it’s likely Halloween.

Then, on Sunday, October 31 — all hallows’ itself — Nashville Pussy brings its Texas chainsaw massacre to the Republik. Its boogie-inflected southern burlesque show is exhilaratingly trashy on most nights, but with the crowd (for one night only) out-outfitting the band, the show could border on Gwar territory. Seriously. Civet and the Smokin’ 45s open. Then, if you’re looking for an activity for which you might not need to bring a change of pants, house vet DJ Rice spins at the Hi-Fi club in a spook-laden edition of Sunday Skool.

Now, there’s plenty of diversions the following week — including Vancouver weirdos SSRIs playing Broken City with This City Defects and I Kill You on Thursday, November 4 — so make sure to ride the sugar buzz through the week.