Creeper - Sex, Death & The Infinite Void (Album Review)
Thursday, 06 August 2020
Written by Huw Baines
Having successfully blended sweeping theatricality and schlocky narrative beats with breakneck punk on their debut, ‘Eternity, In Your Arms’, the smart money was on Creeper leaning more heavily on Jim Steinman than Kid Dynamite the second time around. ‘Sex, Death & the Infinite Void’ bears that theory out.
A richly atmospheric concept piece that finally lays to rest the skate-punk elements that survived the end of Will Gould and Ian Miles’ old band Our Time Down Here, album two is far more concerned with piano-led waltzes, strutting power-pop and gothic glam.
From the manner in which Miles has candidly spoken of being sectioned following a psychotic episode during its writing to the lurid stakes of its story—all outsider ennui, doomed romance and kohl-eyed menace—it’s a meeting of fact and fiction that comes off as a monument to the power of creativity.
The crucial element to its success is a complete lack of ironic distance. Creeper inhabit these songs with sharp chops and ludicrous melodic feints, revelling in their over the top nature. There is a sense of ambition here that requires commitment to the bit, and the band’s earnest desire to go as big as possible is infectious.
Gould croons and preens, playing off pianist Hannah Greenwood’s Broadway-adjacent vocals, while the LP’s running spoken word interludes hit paydirt when Celestial Violence bleeds into Annabelle in a picture-perfect recreation of the drop into Meat Loaf’s You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth. They know precisely what they’re doing, and against decent odds they stick the landing.
If there is one small gripe it’s that Creeper were a very good punk band before they found a new side of themselves under neon lights in Los Angeles. But thanks to their investment in overarching themes and a sense of community, not to mention a budding obsession with Bowie-esque creative eras, it’s easy to move past that and become swept up in what they’re doing in the here and now.
Creeper Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Thu March 18 2021 - BRIGHTON Brighton Concorde 2
Fri March 19 2021 - LONDON O2 Forum Kentish Town
Sat March 20 2021 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Institute2 Birmingham
Mon March 22 2021 - GLASGOW Glasgow Garage
Tue March 23 2021 - MANCHESTER O2 Ritz
Wed March 24 2021 - LEEDS Leeds Beckett Students Union
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
.jpg)
