Much loved local rock band Dam Yankee are playing a charity gig in Newcastle on Friday 31 October, with all money raised going to St. Oswald’s Hospice.

I’m not a huge fan of Halloween. All those parties with bozos dressed as The Bride of Frankenstein and Robert Jenrick. No thanks. But this charity gig at Sunniside Social Club looks like an altogether more palatable way to spend your time on All Hallows’ Eve. Headliners are Dam Yankee, local rockers with fire in their bellies who first cut their teeth on the tough north-east club circuit, 40 years back. They don’t perform so much now – usually only getting together for charity gigs – and this night, or Halloween Ball if you please, will be a real doozy with all funds raised going to St. Oswald’s Hospice. Support comes from The Squeezers who are noted for their electric covers of tracks from bands such as The Kinks, Sham 69, The Stranglers, The Beatles and more, so expect this night to be more lively than undead.

Dam Yankee + The Squeezers, Friday 31 October, Sunniside Social Club, Newcastle, 7pm-midnight, £5. facebook.com/SunnisideSocialClub