Excitement is growing around Creeper; with a growing list of festival appearances and eagerly anticipating the release of their third EP, The Stranger, in February, they are becoming a punk rock powerhouse. Hailing from Southampton, this six piece outfit are going from strength to strength.
For The Edge, Carly-May caught up with vocalist Will about inspirations, and growing from a local band into an ever more notable name in punk rock.
What can fans expect from the EP?
I think the new EP is more ambitious than the previous two, and some of the more dramatic and theatrical ideas have become more realised on this new record. Musically we still sit in punk rock territory, but there is a larger variation. We may be biased, but we strongly feel this is the best collection of songs we’ve released so far.
What can you tell me about the recording process?
We recorded this EP much in the same manner we did our last two. We like to record in secret, in between our tour schedule. This way, by the time we come to announcing it, the record is a fully formed piece. We’ve recorded all of our records with Neil Kennedy at The Ranch Production House, just outside of our hometown of Southampton. Neil brings something unique to our band, we’ve been very lucky to have such an incredible producer so close to us.
How did you get into music?
We’ve all been playing since we were kids really, most us met through the punk rock scene in Southampton. I used to put on shows at this really rough pub called The King Alfred, we’d have bands from all over Europe come play. I guess we found our own place there, it was a really creative vibe where everyone was starting different bands and playing these shows. Happened really organically.
How did you come together as a band?
Creeper was the result of a few different bands reaching their conclusion. We’d all left it about a year after our old bands split and then Ian and I started writing songs in my flat together. My housemate Dan was a drummer, and the rest of the guys just heard what was going on and got in touch. It was super easy to put together, the main focus was making sure we knew what we wanted to make, and to put across before we started showing people.
What do you think about online music sharing and its effect on the music industry?
Personally, I think it’s a fantastic thing. There are so many artists around now, without the internet we’d have struggled so hard to get noticed. I think the industry is still in a state of adjustment, but ultimately it can be beneficial to everyone.
What has been the highlight of your careers so far?
We had some very memorable festival shows in the summer. Hevy Fest was especially crazy. Also touring with Jerry Only and The Misfits was a dream come true for us!
Have you ever had to deal with negative publicity or pushy media?
To be honest, most of the time we live in a little Creeper bubble, we’re pretty unconscious of what’s happening on the outside of that bubble. We’re not really the sort to Google ourselves, so we wouldn’t really know. Everyone we speak to is very polite and friendly, I’m not sure I’d have the time for someone who was rude or pushy.
How do you feel about celebrity culture, would you define yourselves as famous, what about the problems that come with that label?
We get recognised more now, especially in our hometown, but I wouldn’t consider us famous at all. The scene we’ve come from was always about the band being on the same page and level as everyone else, I think we still retain that ethic.
How has it been performing with the recent changed line up, especially with tour?
We actually haven’t toured with the new line up yet but we begin next week. We have actually all toured together before though. Hannah has been on the road with use for the last six months as an unofficial member, and Ollie who is our new guitarist, we met when he was doing merch for Funeral For A Friend on our first ever tour last January. There’s a nice continuity to everything.
Recently, Rock Sound likened you to Gerard Way; what is it like being compared to other bands? And do you agree? Are they inspirations for you?
It’s a huge compliment to be compared to incredible artists like that, It’s incredibly humbling. I’m not sure we’re worthy of such praise. My Chemical Romance are a huge influence on us, though I don’t think we really sound alike. What they were about, and the way they went about doing things is something we collectively admire and we love their band. My main inspirations were punk bands like The Bouncing Souls, Strike Anywhere, AFI, Lifetime and then also artists like David Bowie, Bryan Ferry and Jarvis Cocker. I think you can probably hear those a little in our songs.
Creeper will be touring across the UK throughout 2016. The Stranger is released February 16th.
