Creeper deliver an epic and eldritch spectacle
BEN GIBSON
THE AIR IS thick with expectation for Creeper tonight, but there’s a healthy turnout for openers THE NIGHTMARES. Not exactly Hammer fodder, this Welsh outfit with a penchant for 80s goth rock still pack a punch with their lofty, synth-driven sound. Taking things to another level, though, are New Jersey’s SAVE FACE, who are so over-thetop thanks to larger-than-life frontman Tyler Povanda that you can’t help but love them a little bit by their emphatic end.
It’s the attention to detail that often sets CREEPER apart, and tonight is no exception, as a Vincent Price-like voice warns punters seeking a pint and a pee that they have 15 minutes to get settled before the show kicks off. It’s most certainly a nod to the band’s latest release, Sanguivore, a lavish ode to all things vampiric. After an in-person intro from vampire familiar/social media maven Darcia, Further Than Forever –the first of eight tracks from Sanguivore –opens the show. Anine-minute Jim Steinman-inspired epic, this tale of Spook and his ‘bloodlust baby’ might be a newbie, but its rock-opera grandiosity marks anew ambitious chapter in Creeper’s career, providing a thrilling start to the show.