Even if you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, there is absolutely no way that the name Creeper has missed you. Why? Because this Southampton sextet are on an incredibly fast and breath-taking trajectory; they’ve amassed their own cult, called The Callous Hearts, and recently created one of the most mind-boggling yet utterly brilliant marketing campaigns for their debut album ‘Eternity, In Your Arms’. The back story to their album is so intricate and detailed, with James Scythe and The Stranger, it’s been difficult to not be at least interested in this punk rock band.
Now Creeper have taken ‘Eternity, In Your Arms’ on the road less than a week after its release and have brought along three kickass bands to join in with the celebrations. Puppy play to a half-full room but genuinely look like they’re having the time of their life; it’s a short set but one that’s packed with plenty of punchy riffs and fantastic vocals.
Boston-based Energy come bouncing in with incredibly energy (pun intended) and rile the crowd up into the first circle pit of the night. Delicious guitar licks come together with intense melodies, creating one hell of an electrifying set.
Milk Teeth arrive with a plethora of biting songs and gritty riffs; they’re incredibly fun, as evidenced when playing a snippet of Smash Mouth’s ‘All Star’ before launching into their own ‘Swear Jar’, but they’re also poignant, with vocalist Becky Blomfield telling the crowd to remember to surround yourself with people who lift you up as a prelude to ‘No Fun’ and ‘Kabuki’.
It is absolutely phenomenal to see Creeper stride on stage because tonight, they’re going to make history – and they do. It’s only their fourth headline show in London but, as frontman Will Gould points out, it’s their fourth sold-out headline show in London.
From this point on, the rest of the evening whirls past in a mix of emotion, power and absolute joy. There aren’t quite enough words to capture the beauty that everyone in the Electric Ballroom were a part of; from Hannah Greenwood’s heart-breaking rendition of ‘Crickets’ to the quietly powerful ‘I Choose to Live’, Creeper put on one hell of a show through their emotionally-charged story-telling.
Dark, brooding riffs complement both Will and Hannah’s vocals, whilst the addition of keys really lends itself to create an ethereal atmosphere; smooth harmonies and silky melodies create some truly staggering tracks, such as ‘Down Below’ and ‘Hiding With Boys’.
Perhaps the most emotional and touching moment of the night is right at the end when they finish up with ‘Misery’. It’s here that you see just how much power Will Gould commands – he merely has to sing two words before the crowd leaps in, their voices swelling louder and brighter over his, singing back the words that he has written and brought to life. But hearing the lyrics of “I’m your chipped nail paint / I’m the fabric of your coat / You are all I fear / You are words I never wrote” come to life brings tears to the eyes of some; not because of what the words mean but because it’s witnessing the rise of a cult coming together as a family.
Tonight, as stated before, Creeper genuinely did make history. Witnessing a movement this big and this powerful is awe-inspiring and also emotional because what Creeper are to this younger generation is what bands such as My Chemical Romance, AFI, Misfits and more were to the older generations. It’s been a long, long time since a band has made people this excited and interested in music – here’s to hoping that Creeper will carry on capturing people’s hearts and imaginations in the most magical way possible.
JESS TAGLIANI
