What are the first things that come to your mind when you think about the last months and years with CREEPER?
Will: Oh, that’s a tough question. The first thing that comes to my mind regarding the last year: It’s been very intense. It’s been a lot of touring – the biggest shows we ever played we played last year, a lot of work on the record – we’ve been recording and writing a lot and we’ve been putting ourselves to a new standard. I’ve been under a lot of positive stress.
Ian: I don’t want to use the word blessing but we are blessed that all of this happened. I guess overwhelming is the better word for that.
„We’re not part of anyone’s scene“
A lot of things happened. Do you feel as a part of a hype?
Will: Well, people say that and I feel like we fit into that. But still, I would not say that we are a hype band. The good thing about CREEPER is that we play with a lot of different kind of bands but we’re not part of anyone’s scene.
Ian: There is this big Pop Punk bubble in the UK right now – that’s probably this hype you’re speaking of. Still I feel like “Hype” is a flash word – it’s just a word that people use to label things. People use it quickly without looking into the history of things. They look at a band for five seconds and label it as a hype band. It’s not easy for bands to life with that label.
Your new album „Eternity, In Your Arms“ is out in March. What can we expect from it?
Will: It is a very theatrical album, a very emotional one. You won’t hear anything else like this this year. It’s like a reinvention of things. It contains lots of elements from the past and it is more like reading a book than a classical album. It’s an adventure. I’d like to think that if you press play, you would lose yourself in it and that’s what we tried to create.
„I suddenly know exactly what I love about music“
What are the ideas or inspirations for your songwriting?
Will: I went to see the show of a unknown band. It was a really dead show, I was having a personal crisis at this moment and suddenly they played that song that really affected me. They basically just described my life and my feelings. So I went home and I wrote “Misery”. That’s what inspires me – I am thinking about the affect it has on the listener. I want to replicate that magical feeling I had at that show.
Ian: It’s the same with me. Sometimes I listen to music even if it’s just five seconds and I suddenly know exactly what I love about music. I rewind it and rewind it and I get blown up.
If you look back to the time you were at the studio with “Eternity, In Your Arms”, how would you describe it and do you remember some thrilling moments from these times?
Will: It was one of the hardest things we’ve done creatively. It was a lot of work, we were running late, songwriting took a little longer than usual, we were touring, we were tired. There was a time when I had to leave the recording process to get my mind back on track. Luckily, we in the band are friends and we are like those bikes with two seats – if one has to stop the other one compensates it. In the end all this was an important part of recording. We needed those break downs and I needed the experience that the band will catch me if I slip. That is something I am really proud of. I guess that is just what art is about: if you’re not suffering it’s not good.
Ian: A thrilling moment for me was when we got the full record back – it was all mixed and mastered and everything and I sat and I listened to it really loud in one piece from the beginning to the end. That was the moment when I was really proud of us and myself and how hard we worked and what we got through.
„A lot of people are dealing with really heavy stuff and they are coming to us for an answer“
Is there a song on “Eternity, In Your Arms” that has a particular importance for you?
Will: There a lot of very important songs on this record but I guess “I Choose To Live” is the one. It’s a song that is directly addressed to the audience for the first time. It is a song about the mental health problems parts of our audience are facing. A lot of people are dealing with really heavy stuff and they are coming to us for an answer. They find solidarity at the shows and we didn’t know what to say. I was inspired by this David Bowie song “Rock’n’Roll With Me”, a song he wrote directly to his audience. In the end “I Coose To Live” is the most personal song on our record. It’s from me to the audience and the most stripped down the record gets.
Which musicians influenced you the most?
Will: Definitely David Bowie even though you wouldn’t listen to the record and think of David Bowie. It’s more the way he used to work and what he stood and still stands for that influences CREEPER a lot.
Ian: There is a strict difference on what influences me as a person and what influences CREEPERs music. For CREEPER it’s AFI, Alkaline Trio, Bouncing Souls, The Ramones, Lifetime, Kid Dynamite.
Which goal(s) you want to reach is/are especially important for you?
Will: I’d like to play at this British TV show “Later With… Jools Holland” because that’s where the grown up bands play.
Ian: The thing with goals is that we are in a position right now where we can actually reach our goals. That means creative goals and goals with the band.
„It still gives us the possibility to come together and make the world a better place“
Do you have special rituals before a show?
Ian: Not really but we are slowly growing some. I drink a Gin before a show. But in general everybody has their own thing. Our base player Sean puts music on, Oli (guitar) runs around in circles, Hannah (Keyboard and voacls) and Will have a vocal warm up, Dan (drums) eats and I drink Gin.
What do you think about the crazy conditions all over the world these days?
Ian: It’s a really terrifying time with Brexit and Trump.
Will: Even though it is a confusing time it still gives us the possibility to come together and make the world a better place. When things are bad it forces people into action and it can turn into a positive run.
