Creeper/ (ˈkriːpə) / noun. a person or animal that creeps. a plant, such as the ivy or periwinkle, that grows by creeping. That’s the dictionary definition, but the meaning within the rock world is somewhat different, although related. Formed in Southampton in 2014 Creeper are a band who have sneaked into our rock/metal conciousness almost without us noticing, despite them sporting an inordinate amount of black leather and black eyeliner. Tonight is my first time seeing the lords of the new goth, and I’m really not sure what to expect from them. Formed in 2014 they have 3 albums to their name and a history of changing their look and sound for each new release. Descriptions of their live set vary wildly, so the only way to find out is to attend the somewhat cavernous Camp And Furnace and watch them in the (possibly rotting?) flesh. 

First some supports though. Scousers are not known for attending anything except possibly the football early, so the crowd is still quite thin when NAUT (pronounced naught) take to the stage. This is a shame, as they are an interesting watch. There are no drums, just bass, guitar and singer (in a splendid sequinned biker jacket) playing along to a machine. The sound is retro, early 80s angst. Think Joy Division with better haircuts. The band are full of movement, but apart from some diehards at the front the crowd don’t seem to share their enthusiasm. The music is OK, in a new-wave post-punk kind of fashion, but nothing leaps out and screams special. 

Zetra are in a similar vein, but also totally different. They start with a red stage and spoken-word intro whilst a bloke in a robe (and possibly chains, wasn’t close enough to confirm) stands with bowed head as if in prayer. This morphs into the strangest of bedfellows, a set of corpse paint and fuzzy electronica. This band (duo?) too is lacking in drums, comprising guitar and keyboards but they still manage to produce a sound that is full and rich with interesting effects and fills. The vocals are soft and ethereal, somewhat at odds with the occasional harshness of the music. It’s very atmospheric, but there’s also a deep bass note that is actually vibrating the whole room. I suspect that you probably need stronger drugs than ibruprofen to totally get what they are aiming for, but it’s not unpleasant. They try to be evil, they look evil, but the nice just keeps floating up and spoiling it for them. I didn’t catch any song titles but there was one towards the end of the set that sounded a lot like early Tears For Fears and was very enjoyable. It’s all rather fey and floaty, with an emotional depth that is as pleasant as it was unexpected.  

The room is now more or less full as Creeper’s intro starts, with a lot of crowding to the front of the stage but also plenty of room for us lurkers at the back. Hallelujah, there is finally a drumkit on stage, and it’s a biggie. Creeper’s singer Will seems to currently going through a bit of an Elvis (or possibly Alvin Stardust) phase, and takes to the stage with a rather neat quiff and some retro shades. Cool! They are currently touring on the back of last year’s album release “Sanguivore”, a dark concept album based around vampires, so the set draws heavily on that and they start with ‘Cry To Heaven’. This is a surprisingly jolly little ditty, with an upbeat feel and a singalong chorus, and the crowd are already going wild for them.

The bass player is climbing the speaker stacks, the two guitarists are all over the stage and despite only being 2 songs in Will is playing the crowd like an instrument as they go into ‘Poison Pens’. Some of the older songs are a bit more goth, leaning more on a bit of electronica and dark, forbidding vocals, but the whole thing is still surprisingly accessible. They prove to be masters of the art of the power ballad too, adding piano-driven pathos to both ‘Hiding With Boys’ and later ‘I Choose To Live’ before taking both into a riff-filled crescendo. The ardency of the crowd is heartwarming throughout, they adore this band and the band seem to feed off this like the vampires they are singing about. There are a couple of people borne aloft down at the front, and Will’s smile becomes bigger and ever more ghoulish by the moment.  

Being new to the band I was expecting a little more arty-farty theatricals and a lot less straight-ahead rock. Influences abound, with here a verse worthy of the Arctic Monkeys and there a chorus that could have been penned by Green Day. It’s not derivative though, the overall sound is something that they make all their own and it’s catchy and infectious. There are enough woah-oh choruses to keep any glam rock fan happy, yet also enough dark lyrics and swirling keyboards to touch the blackest of goth hearts. Somehow they meld all this together into one glorious mesh of sound that just works.

They throw in a bit of bouncy pop-rock with ‘Teenage Sacrifice’ and then counter it with some speed metal as keyboardist Hannah comes to the front to belt out ‘Ghosts Over Calvary’ Stylistically they borrow from everywhere so the tunes are new yet also somehow familiar. “Annabelle” is a case in point – it’s like Suede fronted by Freddie Mercury doing a song written by Motley Crue. Wonderful!  

The main set ends there, but the night is far from over. ‘Further Than Forever’ sees them segue some power metal into a Nick Cave inspired song. It’s then that something truly magical happens, the band play ‘Misery’ but the crowd take over – I’m not sure I’ve ever been to a show before where the band stop playing entirely and listen to the crowd do a note-perfect rendition of their own song! On stage they stand still, heads bowed, as the power of the moment sweeps all before it.

They do of course start up again for the big riffy finish but as live performances and crowd participation go that was truly something special. This should be the end of the set, but the baying crowd are having none of it so before we leave an impromptu version of ‘VCR’ gets thrown into the mix and stirs up all the passion and energy again. I leave the room with the distinct impression that I have just witnessed something very special indeed. Creeper may not be a household name yet but reader, watch this space.  

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Creeper, Zetra, NAUT