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Epic Studios, Norwich

Monday 18th March 2024

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CREEPER – NORWICH – LIVE REVIEW

📸 (C) Denis Gorbatov / Full Pelt Music

Despite being one of the most active live bands in the UK, it has been almost a decade since Creeper last played in the city of Norwich. Back then they were the support band in the backroom of a pub, now they return at the much larger Epic Studios and their fans are out in numbers despite some competition from local favourite Justin Hawkins just up the road.

ZETRA

Before the main event however we have our openers Zetra who, after opening for Creeper at their one-off Roundhouse show in 2022, are along for the ride on this ’12 Days of Night’ tour.

The mysterious duo deliver a methodical set of elevator music for Goths. The elements of theatre fit naturally with the aesthetic of a Creeper show and the respectful crowd appear content with their performance. Whilst sparks don’t necessarily fly, the band create the perfect ambience to prepare us for what’s to come next.

CREEPER

What comes next is a band who have certainly made their case for the best live act award. Creeper are now a wholly different prospect compared to their early Norwich shows; for whilst they can still go hard when the moment calls, they are now an elegant and effervescent force. To go with the vampire theme, they are less the brute force of Blade and more the seductive charm of Count Dracula.

Speaking of awards, Creeper won two of our end of year awards this past December and it’s our Single of the Year ‘Cry To Heaven’ that kicks their set off in spectacular fashion. The catchy song instantly elevates the audience energy levels and alongside the quickfire romp of ‘Poison Pens’ sets the tone for the evening.

The setlist for this tour is carefully curated given the band now have three albums and four EP’s to choose from. There are therefore many big songs which don’t make the cut this evening.

That’s an indictment of how packed their back catalogue has become and that’s never more apparent then when you consider the tracks not present with the fact that they can still pull out the likes of ‘Hiding With Boys’, ‘Cyanide’, ‘Down Below’, ‘The Honeymoon Suite’, ‘Annabelle’ and ‘I Choose To Live’. That’s not to even mention the stunning Hannah Greenwood led interlude of ‘Ghosts Over Calvary’ and ‘Crickets’!

The second Full Pelt Award taken home by Creeper last year was Album of the Year for their latest masterpiece ‘Sanguivore’ and those are the tracks that perhaps own tonight. ‘Teenage Sacrifice’ is glorious, ‘Lovers Led Astray’, ‘The Ballad of Spook & Mercy’ and ‘Chapel Gates’ are all highlights and the rock opera ‘Further Than Forever’ is simply magnificent.

The line-up for the band now officially features guitarist Lawrie Pattison and it feels like they are firing off all cylinders together. Each member brings somewhat special and together they have hit another level, and whilst there are a few clichés there, ultimately you can’t help but be excited for the future of the band.

It’s an old favourite though that brings the evening to a spine-tingling close with ‘Misery’ eliciting the sing-a-long to end all sing-a-longs. Creeper can leave Norwich this time around knowing that they’ve ascended into something much bigger than their humble beginnings. The fans however will be heading home praying that it doesn’t take the band another nine years to return to the city.

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Creeper

Roundhouse, London

Friday 4th November 2022

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CREEPER – LONDON – LIVE REVIEW

The last time Creeper played a show like this in London, they “broke up” and vanished for a year. In advance of tonight there have been teases of some vampiric happenings in Camden, so it’s no surprise that the band’s dedicated fanbase sold out their biggest ever headline show at the iconic Roundhouse.

The theatre starts early with opening act Zetra. The gothic synth-gaze group are a fitting start to the evening and get the early attendees into the spirit for what is to come.

Main support act Bad Nerves are more of a straightforward proposition, blasting out their rough and ready punk rock anthems to the enjoyment of the audience.

Realistically however tonight was always going to be about one band and one band alone, our headliners Creeper. Before then however the vampire theme is played out again with clips from legendary vampire movies projected onto the curtain protecting the stage.

When that curtain finally drops the band burst onto an appropriately decorated stage with early fan favourite ‘VCR’, much to the delight of the packed venue. The opening guitar riff of ‘Born Cold’ then cuts the atmosphere in two and the crowd truly erupt.

WATCH ‘BORN COLD’ ON YOUTUBE

Creeper – ‘Born Cold’

Big hitters ‘Suzanne’ and ‘Annabelle’ follow and you already know that tonight is going to be special. From here on out, it’s a true career-spanning setlist from the band with a surprising amount of early material finding its way back into the set, which again helps to feed that special feeling this evening.

Over the past year or so, Creeper have taken major leaps forward sonically and visually, on record and live. All that early promise is being fully realised and tonight feels like a celebration of everything they’ve done to this point. Both albums and all major EP’s are represented.

The stage presence of the band has come so far and seeing frontman Will Gould at the peak of his powers, and Hannah Greenwood own the stage like never before is incredible for fans that have been with the band since their humble beginnings.

Every word of every song is sung back by the passionate audience at the top of their lungs. There is a connection in place here between band and fans that is hard to describe, but we’ll attempt to with the word magical!

Stunning moments such as the live debut of ‘All My Friends’ ensure this evening is the spectacle it promised to be, but it’s what transpires after ‘Misery’ brings tonight to a beautiful close that will be talked about forever in Creeper folklore.

After a vampire beheads Gould, a video announces that the band has signed with Spinefarm Records and new single ‘Ghost Brigade’ has just been released. As one chapter closes, another begins and Creeper remain on course for greatness.

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