Frankie and the Witch Fingers at Baba Yaga
Catching Frankie and the Witch Fingers at Baba Yaga for their Hollerween Weekend in Seattle is peak October. Between the costumes, the packed rooms, and the promise of loud psychedelic rock ringing through one of the city’s most beloved venues, it felt like the perfect way to close out the month. The fact that the Los Angeles band sold out three consecutive nights only proves the love Seattle has for them. Formed in Bloomington, Indiana, in 2013 before relocating to Los Angeles, Frankie and the Witch Fingers have spent the last decade building a reputation as one of the hardest-working and most exciting live bands in modern psych rock.
Led by founders Dylan Sizemore and Josh Menashe, the current lineup also features bassist Nikki Pickle, drummer Nick Aguilar, and synth player Jon Modaff, whose addition helped push the band’s sound further into electronic and synth-punk territory. Their latest album, Trash Classic, arrived in 2025 as their eighth studio record, expanding on the cyberpunk, garage-rock, and electronic experimentation that made Data Doom such a fan favorite.
We attended the Friday night show with Seattle’s own Semisoft opening the evening. It’s always great catching the band, and it had been long enough since the last time that we made sure to get there early. The venue was already packed well before showtime, all the way back to the stairs, with conversations buzzing and people visibly ready for what was coming. Between sets, local music photographer Bella Petro, performing as Bellatown, kept the energy alive with a DJ set that fit perfectly with the evening’s Halloween atmosphere.
The moment Frankie and the Witch Fingers took the stage, Baba Yaga felt like it shrank by half. Song after song, the room grew louder and more unhinged as the crowd fed off the band’s relentless energy. Their live reputation is well earned. While their records capture the frantic blend of garage rock, psych, punk, and synth-heavy experimentation, seeing them in person is a completely different experience. Their music feels like it’s constantly on the verge of flying apart while somehow remaining perfectly controlled.
The band’s newer material translated exceptionally well live. Tracks from Trash Classic brought an added layer of electronic chaos, with buzzing synths and jagged grooves weaving through the set. Songs like “Dead Silence,” and “Total Reset” have already become fan favorites from the new album, while older material drew equally loud reactions from longtime followers. The chemistry between the band members was impossible to miss. Menashe‘s guitar work cut through the room with precision, Nikki Pickle‘s bass lines were impossible not to move to, and Aguilar‘s drumming felt like a freight train that never let up. Modaff‘s synth textures added another dimension entirely, giving many of the songs a slightly deranged sci-fi edge.
As intense as the music was, the highlight of the night wasn’t even a song. Towards the end of the set, Dylan Sizemore launched himself into the crowd and disappeared into a sea of hands. Moments later, everyone turned and looked up as he somehow found himself hanging from one of Baba Yaga’s ceiling beams. Surrounded by the venue’s grass-covered ceiling decor, he made it appear as though he was walking across the ceiling while continuing the performance.
By the end of the night, the room was drenched in sweat, smiles, and the kind of energy that only comes from a truly great rock show. Frankie and the Witch Fingers have mastered the art of turning a concert into a shared experience, where the line between band and audience disappears completely. Playing three sold-out shows in Seattle isn’t an accident. It’s the result of years of constantly delivering unforgettable performances and continuing to evolve their sound without losing the chaos that made people fall in love with them in the first place. This is a band you have to experience live.
