Following the release of their debut album Eternity, In Your Arms, Creeper are set to play Cardiff’s Tramshed tomorrow (April 2) as part of an extensive UK tour.
The bands shows are known for their immersive and theatrical presentation and are set to be more elaborate than ever. Andy Howells recently caught up with Will Gould to talk about the album and forthcoming shows.
The last time we spoke, you were releasing The Stranger EP, now your debut album is imminent, how does it feel as a band to have made that next big step in the recording process?
It is both very exciting and an incredible relief. We always write and record our music in secret, so the album was created amongst an intense touring and promotional schedule, as we could never let our fans know that we were taking ‘time off’ to make a record. It feels like we were making it forever, and like we’ve been waiting for it to be released forever. We can’t wait for this next chapter in our story to begin.
Can you tell us a bit about the forthcoming album?
It is very much the Creeper album. It is a summary of our diverse range of influences, and features elements of our past, present and future. We used to think of ourselves as a punk band that flirted with rock n roll, now we are more of a rock n roll band that flirts with punk rock.
EP’s are a good way of turning out new material for fans pretty quickly, do you think you’ll still be releasing material in this format in the future?
It’s about quality not quantity for us, we’d rather wait longer and release something we want to than turn things around quickly. If we’re releasing music of our own creation, it’s because we felt it represented our band the best at that moment in time.
Have the tracks for the album been in Creeper’s live set for a while or are they all completely new?
We included Misery on the album, albeit a reworked, spruced up version. We felt this song fitted perfectly with the narrative and journey of the album, so we wanted to give it a chance to sit in more grandiose company than on an EP, but everything else on the album is new. We started playing Suzanne live after the single was released at the end of last year but this forthcoming tour will be the first time people hear most of this material.
If you wanted to choose a track which really defines you as a band at the moment what would it be and why?
There’s a song on the album called Down Below. It’s collectively our favourite song Creeper has ever written. It just has everything we are in it – rock n roll, drama, theatricality and a punk rock spirit.
Looking at Creeper’s influences, who do you all enjoy listening to when you’re not playing your own material?
Pretty much none of us listen to the same music. That’s why we sound like we do. We listen to everything from Bowie and Meatloaf to pop punk and black metal.
Creeper are heading back to Wales, what can fans expect from the forthcoming show?
We have always flirted with theatricality in our songs, concepts and music videos – this tour is the first time we are endeavouring to bring some of that theatricality and ambition to life on stage.
What are the bands plans for tours and live dates for the rest of the year?
We have an incredibly busy year ahead. We are playing at Download on the main stage in June, which is completely crazy, and we are going to be spending all summer in the US, which is both intimidating and very exciting. We can’t talk about a lot of what’s in the diary but suffice to say, you’ll be seeing a lot of us.