So… in the space of 24 hours, I saw Creeper, met singer Will Gould and found myself buying two tickets for tonight’s randomly announced gig… 

Well, truth be told by the time I got to the AO Arena on Friday to see Creeper, The Cult and Alice Cooper, picked up the tickets, found our seats (or rather just plonked down in the first free seats we found) the closing bars of “Annabelle” were playing and the band were walking off stage… sigh! Very disappointing, but my disappointment did not last too long as during the intermission we left our seats only to spy Mister Gould near the bar and feeling brave I seized my chance to go over and say hi… What a thoroughly nice bloke he is. More than happy to chat, did some secret squirrel discussions, asked for a pic and he happily obliged. Not too hard on the eyes either… swoon… 

Jump forward 24 hours and randomly scrolling Twitter I see the band are about to make an announcement with a note saying “you will have to move very very quickly”. Thinking not much of it but curious, I refresh the feed a few times and then boom Manchester gig tomorrow... Hop onto the trusty laptop and snag myself two tickets before they sell out in 15 mins! 160 tickets gone… amazing! 

Having seen Creeper for the first time at Diddy Download last year and been fortunate to grab a ticket for the recent Ritz gig, I know what to expect in terms of their performance, but it must be twenty years since I saw a gig at The Star and Garter. That was a friend’s band, not a band currently on tour with Alice Cooper and My Chemical Romance! I’m rather excited at the prospect of such an intimate gig.

We pile in at 7pm with not so much as a ticket to show as everything was done at lightning speed… Oh and not to mention the QR code outside the door with the limited edition t-shirts for the show. Might have managed to get one of those too… Grab a drink and at 8pm we are shepherded upstairs into what is to become a very warm space! 

We talk among ourselves in a state of heightened expectation, then finally about 30 minutes later ‘Cry Little Sister’ from The Lost Boys soundtrack announces the band’s arrival and they are straight into ‘VCR’ from 2014’s debut EP. They promised some fast ones and that is what we get as they go onto ‘Black Mass’. The contrast of seeing them on the stage of the AO Arena to watching them tonight on this tiny, tiny, cramped stage is all rather surreal but this is the good shit and I soak it all in. As fellow ROCKFLESH reviewer Stewart would say, THE best antidepressant ever. 

For the next number, ‘Suzanne’ Will divides the room and initiates a circle pit. This one I know, as it’s from debut 2017 album ‘Eternity, in Your Arms’. The crowd is lapping it up. Throughout the night the place is bouncing, with lots of crowd surfing and stage diving. A much braver bunch than me as I reflect on the fact that I’ve probably missed the boat for such shenanigans at my age. Indeed, I am stood with a great view on one of the side benches towards the back at safe distance! And not at all jealous of the bruises people must be sporting later. 

Then we come right up to date with ‘Cyanide’ off the 2020 album “Sex, Death & the Infinite Void”. This is when I really became aware of Creeper and I absolutely adore this track. As ever I don’t do commentary on the composition and melodies, but the lyrics and vocals are where it’s at and this stuff make my black heart sing (though not literally as no one needs to hear that). It’s dirty, dark and sexy as hell. 

“She’s my cyanide. I drink her every night. Modern love can feel like suicide”

The whole night is a mass sing-along, which momentarily makes me feel a bit of a fraud as I only know six songs out of the setlist of 14. So, I’m not a hardcore fan… yet… and being a fair bit older than most of the crowd I’m not sure I can compete with their enthusiasm (or stagediving), but simultaneously I remind myself I’ve been a goth for nearly 30 years and I’m fairly sure seeing Type O Negative three times makes me cool as… I think for me, Creeper are filling some of the (infinite – pun intended) void left behind with the tragic passing of another lyrical genius, Pete Steele in 2010 (shit really, that long ago!) and this voyage of discovery tonight is by far and away one of the best Sunday night’s I have had in a LONG time. 

So next up is ‘Thorns of Love’ which I don’t know and then ‘The Honeymoon Suite’ which I instantly recognise. The songs are packed in, but Will still takes time to thank the audience for coming along, especially at such short notice. Also thanking fellow band members Sean and Hannah for making all the arrangements. This is their first time back in this venue since 2015 and although they have been doing a few smaller gigs recently, it must be a little odd for them too, going from arena to pub and back again! 

We then get a few more songs I am unfamiliar with ‘Winona Forever’ and ‘Allergies’, the latter brought to an abrupt halt when a crowd surfer either injures themselves or those they land on. Will checks everyone is okay before asking whether to resume or just start again. They begin again and the crowd pick up where they left off. Then we get the rather catchy and alluring ‘Napalm Girls’. Love it.

“She is a war in me. She is a war in me. Her kiss is violence. Her kiss is violence”

As the set is drawing to an end, we are right up to date with two tracks from last year’s EP “American Noir”. First the stunning ‘Midnight’ with Hannah as co-lead, before Will takes his leave and Hannah sings solo to the (almost) equally brilliant ‘Ghost Over Calvary’. Then we are back to the first album with a clear audience favourite ‘Down Below’ before ending with an awe-inspiring rendition of ‘Misery’. I had heard this before at the Ritz gig, but this is outstanding. The energy in the room is palpable and as the crowd take over reciting the lyrics Will is almost speechless. Clearly moved and emotional, he gathers himself to thank the audience. He says how much fun the show has been, and huge gratitude is given for the ongoing support, before they resume the song. With that they are gone but it’s only a matter of moments before they re-appear promising they will be back to do this again, but for now they leave us with one more song and end on a high with the sinister and slick ‘Annabelle’. 

I’m disappointed it’s all over so quick, and gutted to not hear some of my favourites including ‘Be My End’’, ‘Born Cold’ and where the hell was ‘Poisoned Heart’? That is my ultimate favourite. But it’s time for home and it’s been a mind-blowing night. Seeing this show, at this point in their career, has been wonderous and I have absolutely no doubt of the heights they are going to reach. Their tour in Australia with Enter Shikari has just been announced, and with a much bigger audience to perform to at this year’s Download Festival I’m sure they will be winning many more blackened hearts and dirty minds throughout 2022 and beyond. Catch them when you can!