"Curious true metal fans who came to judge the 'pop punk' band have clearly been won over." Creeper's Bloodstock debut is a dramatic triumph

There can’t be many bands that are capable of playing at Bloodstock and Slam Dunk. Creeper are one of a very small number, then; the Southampton goth-punks have certainly taken on a far more metal aesthetic in the last few years. The bloodstained, corpse-painted look they’re sporting today is a far cry from their AFI-aping early days, and a sonic move towards icy glam rock stylings has certainly helped what could have been a slightly awkward fit for Bloodstock feel far more natural.

Today, they sensibly lean into the style they perfected on 2023’s Metal Hammer album of the year, Sanguivore, than the punk or indie material from the first part of their career.

Regardless of what they play, though, one thing that is undeniable is how fantastic a live band Creeper have always been. The likes of Down Below and Sacred Blasphemy are perfect, dramatic, dynamic, stadium-sized rock songs that would sound amazing even if they were being played by a bunch of scruffy, charisma-free oiks. Played by a band with this star power, however, they soar to the heavens.

As ever, the focal point is frontman Will Ghould, who struts around riling up the crowd, pulling shapes and thrusting his hips like the love child of Glenn Danzig and Jarvis Cocker. But, for sheer hair-raising vocal power, even he has to take a back seat to keyboardist and co-vocalist Hannah Hermione, who has folks in Suffocation and Dying Fetus t-shirts, unfamiliar with her band, turning to each other, slack-jawed, every time she opens her mouth.

In fact, by the time Creeper close with the booming, Sisters of Mercy-indebted Cry To Heaven, the crowd is bigger, the vibe is more appreciative and those curious 'trve' metal fans who came to judge the pop-punk band have clearly been won over by Creeper’s sheer force of personality and top-class songs. A bit of a result.