Two nights ago I caught Creeper playing The Mash House in Edinburgh on their first ever UK headline tour promoting their new EP “The Stranger”. This is only the band’s third EP release and already they have a catalogue of songs that are the apex of what rock songs can be. This gig was more than just your average gig, this was special!
Grader
ing Creeper throughout their UK headline tour and second on the bill after Rainfalls (who I was unable to catch due to bloody traffic!) was Hardcore band Grader from Aberdeen. This band have more of a melodic Hardcore feel to them with influences of Poison The Well pouring from their sound.
The songs were great, they were very sombre and had lovely harmonies yet retained enough crunch to keep them sounding heavy. Each member of the band had a presence to them. At first glance you would be expecting them to be going crazy on stage and demanding movement however when they started they were very chilled out and laid back to which the crowd responded similarly but in a way were everyone was in their own world. However as soon as the drums went double time and the band went full swing the band went off the chain as well as the heads on the crowds necks. The singer of this band had a lot of ion in the lyrics as he sung with such intensity. Usually when vocalists show various different facial expressions during a set it makes them look more psycho than sincere, however you could see it in the vocalist’s eyes that he meant every word.
The only criticism I really have with the band is that even though the songs were really good, a lot of them were very one dimensional and ran at the same pace. The band having a 40 minute set list with a lot of mid-tempo songs may not have done them any favours however when the pace picked up and the chunk came it was great! (7/10)
Creeper
I really can’t the last time I seriously fell in love with a band however when Creeper was brought to my attention they really did tick all the boxes with regards to what I consider sheer greatness. I managed to catch them two weeks prior at an academy sized venue. They absolutely destroyed the headline acts and I thought to myself at the time that this band have potential and would love to see them headlining their own show. Fast forward two weeks later and here we are in what could be the contender of best gig of the year.
When that band walked out on stage it was like the on switch was flicked. Starting the night off with “VCR” gives anyone who isn’t familiar with the band a sense of what these guys are about. AFI mixed with Alkaline Trio fused with the ferocity of Against Me! Pure Punk Rock sing-a- longs that any band would kill to have in their arsenal. They then went into their latest single and absolute banger “Black Mass” which is like a Misfits song with a chorus that can be only described as the best of Meatloaf. It even calms down half way through the song in complete Meatloaf 50’s theatrical Rocky Horror Picture Show style. The crowd were going absolutely mad singing their hearts out to every word of these songs. By this point it struck a chord with me that this band are just far too big for this venue. It’s guaranteed that they will explode and I think that the current release will push them to the next level in their career.
The band themselves are amazing, the guitars have fantastic, well thought out chord progressions which have a lot of interplay between both players. The keys are very subtle but add so much to the overall sound; and when mixed with the incredible vocal harmonies creates a fullness for those massive choruses. The thudding bass guitar and heavy hitting drums keeps the songs from becoming too nice and ear friendly for the average music listener. This is a proper rock band however the shining light is definitely Will Gould who is a future Icon. When they played the ballad of the night “Misery” I was nearly brought to tears. The sheer emotion this man put into his singing is unconditional and the fact that he can bring such powerful delivery and ion at this stage in his career is absolutely mind boggling. He has the attributes of not only a great singer, but also a great performer, rivalling the best in the game. Will has fantastic showmanship, easily commanding the crowd. I honestly cannot wait to see what will happen next for him coz I predict big things!
Creeper finished their set with a song called “Henleys Ghost” which really was a grandiose song to close with. It’s so good that this song will bring the crowd lighters in the air back into style! It was a moment between the band and crowd which brought everyone in that venue together. It’s got a real farewell feeling to it that rounded up the night in a spectacular way.
If you haven’t heard of this band you seriously need to check them out. It was a 9.5/10 for me, why wasn’t it higher? It’s because I know this band still has more to give. Check Creeper out! (9.5)
