Following our review of ‘Eternity In Your Arms’ which you can read here, this is a post about the famous Creeper.

When I was growing up I was at an awkward age for rock music. The Alexisonfire boat had began to sail, ‘The Black Parade’ had been and gone, and there I was: 15 and finding myself two years late to everything.

I first came across Creeper on a summer evening in 2015 at The Borderline, opening for Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes. I had heard mixed reviews about the band, some comparing them to Alkaline Trio and others to Brand New and in all honesty I wasn’t really sure what I was in for. There was a hostile atmosphere in the air as the band took to the stage, dressed head to toe in black as they launched into tracks from their self titled EP. From memory the band didn’t go down well that night and insults of “Play Black Parade!” echoed throughout the room as their resemblance to My Chemical Romance didn’t play in their favour. But I stood there, on the slightly raised venue platform, and thought, “This is it. This is the band I wanted when I turned 15. This is a cult that I would have wanted to be involved in.” I found their music, their aesthetic and their aura captivating.

So why are they so important in 2017? Surely the post hardcore and emo days have long passed?

Wrong. There are great bands out there doing amazing things that you won’t hear on daytime radio or in the Top 40. There’s Milk Teeth, Puppy, The Menzingers and more.

A trio of EPs have led to the debut – the dramatic full length entrance. The band had the weight of the world on their shoulders as March 24th approached, something that could have easily brought them crashing down to the ground. But no, they’ve not only lived up to the hype but have surpassed everything that was expected of them.

Creeper are so important because they’re more than a band – they are a cult. They are a movement that encapsulates the minds of the awkward, the outcast and everyone who doesn’t quite fit in. They do it in a way that is so accessible that it doesn’t take much to be sucked into their world. They’ve have said that the point of their music is to be able to lose yourself in the moment the same way that people would have done to Springsteen, Queen, Bowie all of those many years ago; the same way I lost myself to the likes of Enter Shikari, Alexisonfire and Gallows. This band have songs, genuine tunes, that have the longevity to be blared in venues in 5 or 10 years time. Think ‘Misery’, ‘Suzanne’ and ‘VCR’.

The cult is poised to become a worldwide phenomenon (this week they play venues like The Electric Ballroom) but in 2018 the rooms will only get bigger. The Roundhouse, Brixton Academy, The Royal Albert Hall: they are all within Creeper’s reach. The tide is turning for British rock music and Creeper are on the front line.

If you haven’t already, go listen to ‘Eternity, In your Arms’. It’s like Meat Loaf in the ring with Against Me! but everyone comes out smiling.