Creeper, The Old Blue Last, London

Almost a year ago to the day Creeper took to the stage of The Old Blue Last for their first performance in the capital. Tonight, the stage may be the same but the band commanding it are barely recognizable. They’re still dressed in black and singing songs for outsiders but in those twelve months, they’ve grown comfortable to their calling.

Celebrating the release of their ‘The Callous Heart’ EP, Creeper are faced with an eager capacity crowd and from the opening blast of Jim Steinman’s ‘Teenager in Love’ monologue over the PA, tonight feels like the beginning of something huge.

A desperate ‘VCR’ launches things off proper before the frenzy of ‘The Honeymoon Suite’ stokes the fire. It’s all go from here. In such close quarters you can almost see Creeper spark off one another. Vocalist Will Gould is at the bow, hanging into the crowd and acting out every moment of their fraught drama but he’s the band’s lightening rod, channeling their charge.

‘Gloom’ and ‘We Had A Pact’ are as fearless as ever but it’s the danger of their newer material that really lifts the band into pastures new. The sugary bounce of ‘Allergies’ collides with the one-two stomp of ‘Black Cloud’ while set closer ‘Henley’s Ghost’ shows a beautiful confidence in refrain. “Love in Decline.” Not likely mate.

Forced back to the stage for a one shot encore of ‘Novena’, the band look moved. As the room drowns out the stage, it’s a moment of overwhelming unity and support, giving Will a chance to look over at guitarist Ian Miles and mouth surprised obscenities before returning to his role as conductor. The cry of “I can feel all your dreams start to flicker and fade,” echoes around the room with a snarl and a clenched fist, bringing the evening to a close while throwing fairy lights around Creeper’s onwards march.