First up is Atlantan four-piece Starbenders. Heavily influenced both audibly and visually by the glam rock of the ‘70s, singer Kimi Shelter, clad in leather and velvet, croons her way through the bands short but sweet opening set. It’s early, and the crowd is still pretty sparse due to the queues outside, but those who are in the room give the band a warm welcome, waving their arms as they cheer and singing along. Never was there a crowd more willing to indulge Shelter when she asks them to take part in a “whimsy pit,” a softer, more lighthearted version of the mosh pits we’ve all come to know, love and fear. ‘Chantilly Boy’ comes with one caveat; she implores us to always let our freak flags fly, and the crowd are only too happy to oblige. Shelter takes the opportunity to share the joke she’s been telling every night so far this tour (“I’d say you all look dead out there, but you’d take that as a compliment”). After a mere thirty minutes, Starbenders end with the aptly named ‘Saturday’, with the words “I dream of you on a Saturday night” echoing out across the crowd.

Hailing from Venezuela, France and New Zealand respectively, Calva Louise are up next. By far the heaviest band on the stage tonight, the three piece make their way through a fusion of genres, from post hardcore to electronic infused rock. ‘El Umbral’ is one of two songs sung in singer Jess Allanic’s mother tongue of Spanish, the other being their latest single ‘La Promesa’, which she dedicates to her home country of Venezuela and the tragedies it’s faced this year. She’s ridiculously multi talented, not only moving between playing both keys and guitar, but seamlessly transitioning from soft, melodic vocals one minute to throat ripping screams the next. Backlit by a neon sign of their logo, Ben Parker beats the drums like his life depends on it. Though the audience were a little slower to warm to the main support than they did the openers, there’s a sea of heads banging along by the time they end with ‘Oportunista’.

Despite the fact they don’t take to the stage for another half an hour, the Creeper show begins as soon as Calva Louise leave the stage. As the crew set up a huge white drop curtain that will soon become a spectacle in itself, a ‘radio station’ plays over the speakers, the DJ spinning the likes of Rocky Horror, Meatloaf, Judas Priest and Ozzy to get the show on the road. He takes a call from Darcia, everyone’s favourite vampire familiar, and she tells us all to be on the lookout for a dangerous figure, a woman in a hood and leather gloves, and we must report to security as she’s armed and dangerous. 

As the DJ announces the band that have “come all the way from the mouths of hell,” a spotlit shadow appears behind the curtain. Introducing himself as the ‘Official Live Events Censor’, the shadow declares this show has now been rated “U for Universal.” The crowd boos as he tells us there won’t be any raunchy or sexual content, no senseless gore or violence, and certainly no sacred blasphemy. The boos quickly turn to cheers as another shadowy figure appears behind him; The Mistress of Death, clad in an executioners hood and wielding a battle axe. The lights turn the curtain blood red, the Mistress strikes, and the censor is no more.

The curtain drops, revealing the band as they launch into ‘Blood Magick (It’s a Ritual)’. With their trademark black and white face paint and blood staining their mouths, the band dominate the stage, with frontman Will Gould strutting round the stage, staring down the audience. Guitarists Ian Miles and Lawrie Pattison play off against each other perfectly, their joint solos on ‘Lovers Led Astray’ taking centre stage as they leap onto the risers to blast them out. Tonight’s setlist is comprised of the best tracks plucked from the bands last two albums, ‘Sanguivore’ and ‘Sanguivore II’, with the likes of ‘Parasite’ and ‘Headstones’ leading the charge. 

Things quieten a little with ‘The Ballad of Spook and Mercy’, as Gould’s deep commanding voice rings out over the room, painting pictures with his words, before crescendoing into the climactic chorus. Another figure appears on the stage, this time to hand Gould a black telephone so he can receive a call from Darcia, imploring him to be on the lookout for a dangerous figure in the crowd, before promptly hanging up. He takes to the throne to ponder the danger as the rest of the band launch into ‘Black House’, with Gould remaining on the throne, all the while singing the lyrics into the handset.

It’s not just Gould that gets to revel in the theatrics tonight. After ‘Teenage Sacrifice’, a casket is wheeled onstage by two women in matching leotards and signature Creeper make up. They stand guard either end of the casket, as the lid is lifted amidst a sea of smoke, and Hannah Hermione emerges, flail in hand, to rip her way through ‘Razor Wire’. It’s a joy to see Hermione come out from behind the keys more often, and we can only hope there’s more opportunities in future songs for her to grace the front of the stage. After almost an hour, it’s time for their set to come to an end. Gould thanks us for engaging in this communion with them, and rewards us with the much lauded ‘More Than Death’, before ‘Cry To Heaven’ closes out their set, giving the crowd the opportunity to sing along one last time. 

Creeper have truly cemented themselves as one of the best live bands in the UK right now. Their onstage phantasmagoria, gore and beheadings could very easily come across as a gimmick, and yet it never feels cheesy. They’re paying homage to the likes of Alice Cooper and 80’s horror, and they do it with conviction. As the rest of the band leave the stage, Gould is finally captured by the Mistress of Death, and she drags him over to the guillotine that’s now been wheeled onstage. Flanked by the aforementioned pallbearers, Gould’s head is forced into the lunette as the Mistress brandishes her axe menacingly and cries “Off with their heads!” The rope is cut, the blade drops, and Gould is brutally beheaded. The audience is left speechless regardless of whether this is the first time they’ve seen this part of the show or not, as we all try to work out how, moments later, Gould reappears for the encore with his neck unscathed.

The encores have varied this tour, with the band playing different ones each night. Tonight we’re treated to a mix from their back catalogue with ‘Annabelle’, ‘VCR’ and ‘Down Below’. The only constant has been their final song of each show, in the form of the beloved ‘Misery’. Roses are held aloft as tears flow freely, streaking the white paint that adorns so many faces in the crowd tonight as they take their last opportunity of the evening to sing along with them. 

Creeper are a self professed cult. Their fans are self professed cult members. And thankfully, there’s no sign of them being deprogrammed anytime soon.

EMMA STONE

Sometimes, you become a fan of something, and are forced to wait YEARS for the next instalment. Euphoria season 3? Four years. Chinese Democracy? Fourteen years. Winds of Winter? Fifteen years and counting! And yet, AFI take the lead on all of those, as it’s been SIXTEEN YEARS since their last headline tour in the UK. Sure, they supported Deftones back in 2017, but such a support slot certainly wasn’t enough to satiate their rabid fanbase. Suffice to say, the anticipation in the room tonight is at an all-time high, with Manchester Academy full to the brim with longtime AFI fans desperate to see their heroes.

But first, it’s up to support act TR/ST to warm up the crowd with their brand of darkwave synth pop; a feat they don’t quite pull off. Perhaps on a different night, in a different venue, in a different support slot, they’d have gone down a storm. There’s clearly logic behind bringing them out on tour, as they exist in the same realm as ‘Blaqk Audio’ (Davey Havok & Jade Puget’s side project) but when the entire crowd is chomping at the bit for AFI, the Canadian two piece’s atmospheric broodings don’t quite have what it takes. It means that, unfortunately, the majority of their 30-minute set feels like a wait for AFI, that itself feels that much longer than 30-minutes.

It’s almost odd to see the band sitting on chairs when they take to the stage, rather than leaping and storming around like we’re used to. Diving straight in with ‘Leader of the Free World’, which is by far the most mellow intro to a Kid Kapichi show I’ve ever experienced, they then follow it up with ‘Intervention’, which harks back to the Kid Kapichi days of old. Bassist Eddie Lewis’ baselines still rattle through you and drummer Miles Gill’s pounding beats hit hard, proving to any of the potential naysayers of the new album that, live, the songs still slap.

One thing Kid Kapichi have mastered is their ability to unite their audience; previously with shared angst over the state of the country and the fat cats that run it, now with a look inward at struggles that all of us in the room have surely faced at some point. There’s no denying ‘Fearless Nature’ has been somewhat divisive; it’s a far cry from the energetic, punchier sounds of their previous albums, but I think it’s fair to say that sense of camaraderie is still alive and well in the room tonight. With frontman Jack Wilson making no secret of the fact that this album is their most personal one to date, it’s heartwarming to see the crowd reacting so positively to it. 

The lads know this album is a departure from their previous ones, but they took a creative risk and it’s paying off. After all, how can anyone be mad at an album that’s so raw and open about the darker side of the human condition?  It’s plain to see how much it means to Wilson to be sharing such an intimate look into his personal life, and to have the audience give it such a warm reception. Sure, there’s big cheers when he asks if we want an older song in the form of ‘Tar Pit’, but despite the album only being out for five days at this point, the crowd don’t hold back when he asks if we can help him sing along to ‘Worst Kept Secret’.

It’s clear to see that ‘Patience’, a song written by founding member and old guitarist Ben Beetham before leaving the band, is a poignant goodbye to the life they’ve all experienced together for the last twelve years. Jack takes this opportunity to reintroduce new members Gill and guitarist Lee Martin and, whilst their old band members are missed, it’s great to see that both new additions are really hitting their stride after playing with the band the last few months.

Finishing up the new songs for the evening is Wilson’s favourite track off the album, ‘If You’ve Got Legs’, a song heavily influenced by the ‘Humbug’ days of the Arctic Monkeys and ‘Rabbit Hole’, a song overflowing with equal parts nostalgia and existentialism. Knowing that they couldn’t possibly leave us without playing a couple of bangers from their previous albums, they launch into stripped back versions of ‘Working Mans Town’ and ‘Rob The Supermarket’, the former almost sounding a little country with Martin’s slide guitar intro. 

It’s no surprise that tonight’s show at Headrow House sold out instantly, and when they come back again in October (keep your eyes peeled for that announcement), I’ve no doubt that show will do the same. Whether their music is a scathing indictment of 21st Century Britain, or a deeper look at the complexities of the human condition, as long as they keep putting out music as honest and open as this, Leeds’ Kid Kapichi’s fans are going to be here for the ride.

EMMA STONE