Creeper (band)

2014–16: Formation and early years

Creeper were formed in Southampton in 2014 by vocalist Will Gould and guitarist Ian Miles, who had previously worked together as members of post-hardcore band Our Time Down Here, along with guitarist Sina Nemati, bassist Sean Scott and drummer Dan Bratton. The quartet self-released their self-titled debut EP on 19 June 2014, which was later issued as a limited edition 12" vinyl by Palm Reader Records. The band played their first headline show at the Joiners Arms on 1 August, followed by their first performance in London at The Old Blue Last on 13 September and a stint supporting Welsh group Funeral for a Friend. In June 2015 the group signed with Roadrunner Records and played at Download Festival for the first time. The band's second EP, The Callous Heart, was released on 18 September 2015 and launched at a special show three days before at the Old Blue Last. Later in the year, the group toured with Misfits and later Moose Blood, as well as performing at the UK Warped Tour in October.

In December 2015, it was announced that Nemati had left Creeper in order to "concentrate on his sound engineering career in London", while touring keyboardist Hannah Greenwood was upgraded to a full-time member. The group's third EP, The Stranger, was released on 19 February 2016 and entered the UK Albums Chart at number 130. The EP was promoted on a headline tour with Scottish support band Grader, as well as dates supporting Neck Deep and WSTR. In May 2016, Creeper supported Black Veil Brides vocalist Andy Biersack on his Homecoming Tour, as well as performing second on the bill for Funeral for a Friend at their final show on 21 May at the O2 Forum. In June, the group contributed a cover of Iron Maiden's "The Evil That Men Do" to Kerrang! magazine's Maiden Heaven Volume 2: An All-Star Tribute To Iron Maiden album, and in August they contributed a recording of My Chemical Romance's "This Is How I Disappear" to the Rock Sound free release Rock Sound Presents... The Black Parade.

2016–present: Eternity, in Your Arms

After Creeper performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2016, the band's Twitter account began posting images of white noise, before their personal accounts were hidden or removed. A Southampton-based phone number used to promote The Stranger then featured a new voicemail message, which provided a link to a website detailing "the disappearance of James Scythe", which features references to the band's EPs. In October, the band resurfaced with the announcement of their debut full-length album Eternity, in Your Arms, due for release on 24 March 2017, along with the release of its first track and video "Suzanne". Gould offered the following explanation of the album's inspiration: "Eternity, in Your Arms is a record, this time not only about being young and heartbroken, but about transition, about age and loss. Not only the loss of life, but the loss of ourselves. The pieces of the people we were." The band later supported Pierce the Veil alongside Letlive on a tour of the UK and Europe, which started on 29 October and ran until 6 December.

"Hiding with Boys" was released as the second track from Eternity, in Your Arms on 11 December 2016 when it was premiered on the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show, with a music video released for the track the following day. In promotion of the album, Creeper will embark on a headline tour on 25 March 2017, with dates in the UK and Europe running through to mid-April. Support acts from the tour will be Milk Teeth, Puppy and Energy. At the end of 2016, Creeper topped the Rock Sound readers' poll for Best British Newcomer, as well as being featured at seventh place in the poll for Best British Band and at fourth place in the Worst British Band poll. The magazine ranked The Stranger as its 36th best release of the year. The third song and video from Eternity, in Your Arms, entitled "Black Rain", were released on 14 February 2017. Speaking about the track, Gould described "Black Rain" as "the introduction to the record" and highlighted it as "a progression" from the previous two tracks.

Critical reception

Creeper have been praised by numerous music critics and commentators. Tom Connick of DIY magazine described the band's self-titled debut EP as an example of "perfectly executed punk rock". Their sound has been compared to that of Alkaline Trio, AFI, and My Chemical Romance. In a later review of third EP The Stranger, Connick claimed that Creeper were quickly becoming "one of the country’s most vibrant and vital new bands". Writing in September 2014 about the group's second show, Gavin Lloyd of TeamRock described them as "one of the UK's most exciting new bands", praising them for demonstrating "a refreshing change from the majority of bands in the current rock and punk scene peddling the same ideas".

Band members

Discography

Awards