Live Review

Creeper Bring Their Vampire World to Kentish Town

Words by The Pit Standard · Photography by Marianne Brits

Creeper at O2 Forum Kentish Town, London — 2026-10-09

Black face make-up, pale complexions and dark eyes gave Creeper’s audience a distinctly gothic look at O2 Forum Kentish Town.

Black face make-up, pale complexions and dark eyes gave Creeper’s audience a distinctly gothic look at O2 Forum Kentish Town. Beneath the dark make-up, there were plenty of smiles, and it was genuinely enjoyable to see how much people were getting out of being there. Fans sang along at full volume, jumped around and threw themselves into the dancing throughout the 17-song set. The vampire aesthetic has become a defining part of Creeper’s current era, and fans have embraced it in their own way.

Starbenders and Calva Louise opened the evening. Calva Louise were heavier than Jess Allanic’s flowing dress might suggest, her light, almost girlish vocals giving way to growls and full-throated screams against crushing riffs. The set had plenty of force, and Allanic’s vocal range made it a memorable start to the evening.

Creeper began with “Blood Magick (It’s a Ritual)”, moving into “Lovers Led Astray” and “Parasite”. The opening run established the scale of the performance, with Will Gould’s commanding vocals set against guitars that retain some of the bite of the band’s earlier work. On “Lovers Led Astray”, Hannah Greenwood stepped forward to share lead vocals, her soaring harmonies lifting the chorus and giving the song a richer vocal arrangement.

Formed in Southampton in 2014, Creeper emerged from the UK punk and emo scenes with a sound that invited comparisons to AFI, Alkaline Trio and The Damned. Gould and guitarist Ian Miles had previously played together in hardcore band Our Time Down Here, and those roots were particularly apparent on their debut album, Eternity, In Your Arms. Since then, the songwriting has become more expansive, with Sex, Death & The Infinite Void and the two Sanguivore albums taking the band into increasingly ambitious rock territory.

That evolution is apparent in the newer songs, which pair heavy guitar riffs with big, accessible hooks. The choruses are often immediate, although some feel more familiar than the darker subject matter might suggest. The ambition is clear, but the songwriting does not always surprise as much as the production.

During the show, Gould received a phone call warning him about a suspicious figure in a black cloak somewhere in the venue. It was an unusual interruption that fitted the evening’s unfolding storyline.

The stage went dark and a ghoulish voice-over came through the speakers as half the band left the stage. Two women wheeled a coffin into view, and Greenwood climbed out before stepping forward for “Razor Wire”. Her soaring vocals gave the song a different character, making the moment more than a visual reveal.

Ian Miles and Lawrie Pattison provided much of the weight behind the arrangements, while Jake Fogarty’s drumming kept the heavier passages firmly driven. Gould remains the band’s central presence, but Greenwood holds her own alongside him, her vocals providing some of the set’s most powerful moments.

Elsewhere, “The Ballad of Spook & Mercy”, “The Black House” and “The Crimson Bride” drew on the band’s more expansive songwriting, while “Teenage Sacrifice” and “Prey For The Night” brought a harder edge. A masked figure carrying an axe also appeared onstage, adding another unsettling detail to the production.

“Daydreaming in the Dark” led into “More Than Death”, one of the set’s most affecting performances. The song opens with the lines “No reflection in the mirror / No light behind the eyes”, introducing its themes of being undead, emotionally hollow and longing for an end to that existence. Gould’s delivery brought the sense of longing into focus, and the slower arrangement gave the lyrics room to register.

“Cry to Heaven” was followed by “Hiding With Boys”, which began with an acoustic introduction before the full band joined in. “Be My End”, “Black Mass” and “Suzanne” followed, before “Misery” brought one of the evening’s most memorable moments. The crowd sang the chorus acapella, taking over the song together. It was a lovely moment to witness, and a reminder of how deeply these songs have connected with Creeper’s audience.

The prominence of the Sanguivore material will not necessarily satisfy everyone who followed Creeper for their earlier punkier records. Some listeners would welcome more from Eternity, In Your Arms and Sex, Death & The Infinite Void, while others have fully embraced the vampire storyline and the theatrical scope of the newer material.

Whatever listeners make of the band’s change in direction, Creeper delivered a great performance. The playing was tight, the vocals strong and every member brought something to the stage. There was a real sense of a band completely at home with what they do, delivering a show that was as impressive musically as it was visually.

Creeper have always had a taste for the macabre, but their longevity has depended on more than a compelling horror aesthetic. The challenge now is to keep finding new ideas within a style they have developed so fully. There is still room for the unexpected.

Setlist

Blood Magick (It’s a Ritual) / Lovers Led Astray / Parasite / Headstones / The Ballad of Spook & Mercy / The Black House / The Crimson Bride / Teenage Sacrifice / Razor Wire / Prey For The Night / Daydreaming in the Dark / More Than Death / Cry to Heaven / Hiding With Boys / Be My End / Black Mass / Misery