Through the years, the Roundhouse has seen it’s fair share of classic shows. Shows that have made bands and catapulted them to superstardom. Creeper are tonight’s headliners, dubbing the show ‘When The Sun Comes…’ and this is their biggest headline show of their career. It’s also sold out. For a band who are known for their live sets as well as the theatre and drama they provide, tonight was another milestone in their story.
The night starts with a white curtain dropping, and black and white movie footage of horror movies play, with increasingly sinister classical music over the PA. Eventually, Creeper take to the stage and deliver a set which journeys to all corners of their discography so far. Opening on ‘VCR’, every word is screamed back to the band which is a consistent theme all the way through the night.
The band smash through ‘Born Cold’ and ‘Suzanne’ to a rapturous response. Front man Will Gould welcomes everyone to the event, before ‘Annabelle’ lets him slink his way across the stage. Gould is quietly one of the most captivating frontmen in the music industry at the moment, able to hold the crowd in his hand. The rest of the band all play with enthusiasm, each being given their chance to shine. Ian Miles is a guitar hero in the making, whilst Jake Fogarty is afforded a drum solo before the band launch into ‘Down Below’.
Creeper’s secret weapon though is Hannah Greenwood, who offers harmonies throughout, her voice layering with Will’s to great effect. She’s given the chance to take centre stage to sing ‘Ghosts Over Calvary’ and then a goosebump inducing ‘Crickets’. ‘Midnight’ sees both singers up front, with their call and response vocal and dance performances making them look like the gothic equivalent Danny & Sandy from Grease.
Closing the main set, ‘All My Friends’ is dedicated to Ian Miles and is the first time the band have ever played it live. A three song encore of ‘Black Moon’ (which is also a live debut) and ‘Astral Projection’ leads into their finest moment. ‘Misery’ is one of the best songs of the last ten years. It causes the band to stop halfway through, due to the crowd singing the rest of the song before the band can do so themselves. Known for their theatrics, this was the most straight ahead show the band have played in a long time. Until…
As the crowd start to filter out, there’s a lightning strike & Will reappears on the stage. Then Nosferatu appears behind him, dragging him to the ground and seemingly biting him. Nosferatu then stood up holding Will’s decapitated head. A shocking end to a career highlight. A short movie then plays of a new character in the Creeper-verse, Darcia the Vampire Familiar, giving the crowd a news update. This is the end of the ‘Sex, Death and the Infinite Void’ era. Creeper have been signed to Spinefarm and the new era starts right now.
The goth punk band with a Queen influence are now in prime position to go supernova. Releasing a single as well at the same time as the show ended, the new era has started. Creeper have shown why everyone should’ve believed the hype years ago and now with a big label behind them, they’re ready to take over the scene and lead it towards new heights.
ADAM ROSARIO