Creeper @ Coventry Kasbah, 27 February 2016
If you’re a fan of punk or rock, chances are you’ve heard at least a couple of references to Southampton goth-bunkers Creeper over the past few months. They signed to the mighty Roadrunner records last year, have supported just about everyone and have hype building solidly. That hype turned into genuine excitement with the release of their brilliant third EP ‘The Stranger’ earlier this month, so now it was time to see how they would fare on their first ever headline run.
The first thing to note here is how few people have turned out – given that the upcoming London date on this run has been sold out for a while, it’s something of a surprise to see this little room only around half full. That said, those who have bothered to come along make enough noise to fill the room – they clearly understand that Creeper is a special band.
The band burst into life with an opening trio of ‘VCR’, ‘Black Mass’ and ‘The Honeymoon Suite’ – a song from each of their EPs so far and a threesome that underlines everything about this band that has caught the attention and imagination of so many – great hooks, wonderful theatre and choruses that already seem ripe for arenas.
While the makeup, sad lyrics and general goth vibe might have led some to scoff at the suggestion of Creeper being a punk band, when they get on stage it becomes a tough case to argue; these six musicians play full throttle with pounding drums, stabbing chords and a real punk rock energy, but with songs that anyone can get into, as underlined with an airing for the excellent Allergies.
However, if we’re talking about special songs, then we can’t get through this review without a mention for ‘Misery’, the lynchpin of their most recent EP. On record, this is a song that is so moving, so well written and so damn good that you have to stop what you’re doing and listen to it. On stage it is just as powerful and shows what an incredible singer Will Gould really is – he has wonderful voice that is full of drama, fragility and bone-chilling power.
The rest of the set flies by with the wall of noise that is ‘Astral Projection’ and two huge singalongs in the form of ‘Lie Awake’ and ‘Henley’s Ghost’. We’re then even treated to an encore – even if they’re not the ‘punk’ thing to do – as the band jog back on stage to rip through ‘We Had a Pact’ done with a huge smile across the face of every band member.
On this form, the sky is the limit for Creeper; their collected body of recorded work from three EPs would already make one of the best albums of the last few years and they’re one of the most exciting live bands you could wish to see. Those of us who bothered to venture out into Coventry tonight went home knowing we’ve seen something special and important, and we can’t wait to see what happens next.