Remember parties? Gosh… I miss parties. I miss entertaining people at my home, gathering with friends. These days, I’m feeling very nostalgic for the days when we could have Wizard Rock house shows.

When one mentions Wizard Rock house shows, Brian Ross’ parties at Malfoy Manor are probably what come to mind for many of us. But wrock house parties have also happened elsewhere over the years, hosted by fans and bands alike. There was a time when bands would go on tour to play at these parties, notably the Whomp the House Tour organized by Matt Maggiacomo of the Whomping Willows.

In case you haven’t been to one, a Wizard Rock house show is basically a concert at one’s home, often with a laid-back party atmosphere. They can be huge, day-long events that spill out onto the backyard, like the Wizard Rock Cookout in 2009 hosted by The Blibbering Humdingers in Cary, NC that doubled as a baby shower for Christie Mowery of Hawthorn and Holly. Or they can be intimate evening gatherings of a few friends in a small apartment. 

I’ve had the honor of hosting two Wizard Rock house parties at my former apartment in Yonkers, NY. At the time, my wrock alter ego was Astoria Malfoy, so naturally, the parties were touted as soirees at Malfoy Manor.

The first of such parties was a stop on the Whomp the House Tour of 2008, held on a Monday night in May. The show featured acoustic performances by Fred and George the Band, Celestial Warmbottom, Astoria Malfoy (Swish and Flick unplugged solo set), Justin Finch-Fletchley, and the Whomping Willows.

Having a party on a weeknight in an old apartment building made me a little nervous about disturbing the neighbors. Even though we kept the volume low on the small PA speakers, there was no dampening the enthusiasm of the performers and guests.

Spoiler alert: the neighbors called the cops toward the end of the party. Perhaps I should’ve invited my neighbors instead of limiting the guest list to members of TGTSNBN, NYC’s Harry Potter Meetup group. When I opened my apartment door to find Yonkers PD, the officers took one look at me with a toddler (Chloe) perched on my hip and probably thought I was hosting a children’s party gone wild. With a small snicker, the officers blithely told me to keep the noise down.

I’m pretty sure it had been Justin’s stomping on the floor during “Krum” that prompted my neighbors to call the police. So worth it though!

Because I was among friends in my own home, I took the opportunity to try out something new for my set. I reimagined Swish and Flick rap lyrics as comedic melodies with an acoustic guitar accompaniment. I also performed a FILK of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”, titled “Like a First Year”, sung from the perspective of Neville Longbottom, jinxed for the very first time.

Next month, we’ll go Into the Pensieve for the second and final house show at Malfoy Manor! Then keep on the lookout for more memories of wizard rock shenanigans at the new House of Slytherin in the future.

Have a favorite wizard rock house show memory? If you’ve never attended a house show, do you have an ultimate dream line-up? Drop your thoughts into the pensive, aka the comments box!