Rockfreaks.net

support Creeper
author AP date 11/12/23 venue Pumpehuset, Copenhagen, DEN

It is hard to come to terms with the fact that, despite Atreyu’s having been one of the first metalcore bands to pique my interest in the early naughties, I had yet to see them live until tonight. To be fair, the quintet have not been a frequent visitors to Denmark, having only played here once before — in 2008 when I was abroad. I must admit that I’ve not been very fond of Atreyu’s music since their sophomore outing, 2004’s “The Curse”, so it was with a mixture of eager anticipation and healthy skepticism that I headed toward Pumpehuset for the umpteenth time this year, hoping, of course, to find lots of older material included on their setlist. Somewhat to my surprise, the show is taking place in the smaller downstairs room of the venue, which is packed to the brim, and the promise of a much more intimate concert than I had expected instantly raises my level of excitement.

Creeper

Like an ode to the gothic ethos that runs through their veins, the six musicians of Creeper emerge from backstage with pale faces and ashen torsos clad in thick leather jackets, kicking things off with “Cry to Heaven” off their latest album “Sanguivore”. It is an infectious piece of music in which the interplay between frontman Will Gould’s baritone singing and the brighter voice of keyboardist Hannah Greenwood works like a dream, and which acts as a strong exhibit for the band’s spirited showmanship. The antics of Gould, who looks every bit like a goth Elvis Presley, are particularly dramatic and sensual like his supposed idol’s, drawing yearning gazes from some of the younger members of the audience, whilst guitarist Ian Miles is a constant blur of spins and surges toward the stage edge in tracks like “Room 309” off the band’s début offering from 2017, “Eternity, in Your Arms”. It is a thrilling performance that offers rock’n’roll attitude galore in defiance of the morose atmosphere that is typically ascribed to gothic music, resembling the style of both The 69 Eyes and My Chemical Romance, and often in parallel. There are dual solos delivered back-to-back by Miles and touring guitarist Lawrie Pattison, secret handshakes and fist bumps between bassist Sean Scott and Atreyu’s Dan Jacobs, who makes a cameo during “Lovers Led Astray”, microphone juggling and swinging by Gould, and in truth just about every other kind of engagement tactic deployed in order to ensure the audience is not only warmed up, but thoroughly entertained by Creeper’s inexhaustible energy.

This Southampton lot seems to be having the time of their lives, playing their songs for us, and at times their enthusiasm also translates into moments of humour, such as drummer Jake Fogarty’s excessive use of cowbell during an impromptu solo in the wake of “Be My End” from 2020’s “Sex, Death & the Infinite Void”. His exploits only widen the smile that has been glowing on Gould’s face for the duration of the concert, and when “Down Below” is aired afterwards, it earns the crowd’s full participation via spontaneous dancing and a booming sing-along in the chorus. I had heard whispers that Creeper’s material does not stand up to the thrill of their live performances, but on the basis of their concert tonight, I find no credibility in such allegations. Groundbreaking though the likes of the closing duo “Hiding with Boys” and “Annabelle” may not be, their drama and pomp nonetheless renders them into very palatable examples of angsty horror punk… and yes, it does help that the six-piece is so goddamn sprightly on stage. The bar is thus set high for the evening’s headliners.

Atreyu

The air is charged with anticipation by an airing of Darude’s “Sandstorm” as the lead-in to Atreyu’s concert, but once the band enters and the opening track “Drowning” from their latest studio album “The Beautiful Dark of Life” is aired, it feels like there are creases in needing of ironing before the band’s show may full unfurl. Indeed, the volume is lower than it should be, and the five musicians exude a timid aura that renders the beginning of their set into a rather flat experience, even though the audience is doing its best to compensate with loud whoa-oh chants and eager singing along to the older track “Right Side of the Bed” off the aforementioned “Curse”. Three songs into the show, I thus prepare myself for the sting of disappointment… until suddenly, out of the blue, an injection of adrenaline propels Atreyu and in particular guitarist Dan Jacobs into action with his sushi-adorned, aquamarine, custom Kiesel axe, during the heavy, nu-metallic “Save Us” from 2021’s “Baptize”. It almost feels like the quintet is awakened by the visceral reaction of an audience willing to expend every last drop of energy for their heroes, and thus proceed to transform their show into something truly special. The circle pit that forms in tandem with the d-beat in “Two Become One” off 2007’s “Lead Sails Paper Anchor” is the last straw, fuelling bassist Mark McKnight to swing his sparkling golden instrument in wild arcs, and Jacobs to jump down and rock out amongst his fans in the moshpit. From this point on, the concert takes an upward trajectory, slowly rendering itself into one worth waiting for with each passing song.

Atreyu’s energy on stage is one thing, but just as much of the entertainment is provided in between the tracks. Indeed, led by their sardonic vocalist Brandon Saller, the band possesses a dry sense of humour that rivals the legendary banter and antics of NOFX, leading to inappropriate, yet highly comical tirades, as well as bits of trollish improvisation galore. At one point, Saller refuses a shot of Gammel Dansk bitter from someone in the audience and then feigns shock when she calls him “a fucking pussy” for it, turning his back and sullenly altering the lyrics in the beginning of “Warrior” into “Sometimes I feel like a pussy”. There is also a moment when guitarist Travis Miguel is seen casually munching on and throwing segments of orange into the crowd, as well as an instance of Jacobs, Miguel, McKnight, and drummer Kyle Rosa creating what they call a brand new single on the spot, one that plays like a brutal deathcore chop. I don’t remember the last time I was laughing so much that tears were running down my cheeks at a concert, such is the level of clowning around that these five musicians engage in. And as a result, in spite of clocking in more than two hours, the show doesn’t feel particularly long — and certainly never boring.

As for the setlist, Atreyu delivers a pretty good patchwork of their repertoire, skipping only 2002’s “Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses” and 2015’s “Long Live”. As such, there are plenty of highlights to be enjoyed as well as the humour, with a brutal rendition of “Bleeding Mascara”, which features Saller returning to his former role as the band’s drummer, Rosa picking up the bass, and McKnight taking care of the growling vocals in liaison with Creeper’s bassist Sean Scott, standing out as a personal favourite, and “Ex’s and Oh’s”, taken from the band’s 2006 offering “A Deathgrip on Yesterday”, resulting in some of the most violent moshing of the evening thus far. “Watch Me Burn”, which became an instant Atreyu classic when it premiered earlier this year, produces another standout moment, inciting a deafening sing-along and, from what I can see, a teardrop or two in the corner of some crowd members’ eyes. Yes, the burning desire emanating from Atreyu’s faces is matched in full by the audience, who by virtue of their own, unrelenting efforts, never lose sight of their determination to make this a night none of us will soon forget. Certainly, no one will ever forget what happens after “Blow” has brought the ordinary set to its conclusion…

“Just when you thought it couldn’t get weirder, it’s gonna get weirder”, Jacobs announces as he reemerges alone, wielding a saxophone, and then proceeds to play a medley of such iconic classics as George Michael’s 1984 song “Careless Whisper”, Rick Astley’s 1987 banger “Never Gonna Give You Up”, and The Champs’ 1958 piece “Tequila”. This is followed by the rest of the band, plus Creeper’s Hannah Greenwood joining him on stage for a glorious rendition of Whitney Houston’s legendary hit single “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”. It is indeed an unexpected, strange, yet also perfectly fitting finale to what Saller affectionately dubs “the weirdest show of this tour so far”, one that leaves the audience enchanted, thoroughly entertained and counting the seconds to the next time the Californians will grace these shores with their unhinged showmanship.

Setlist:

• 1. Drowning
• 2. Becoming the Bull
• 3. Right Side of the Bed
• 4. Save Us
• 5. Two Become One
• 6. (i)
• 7. Bleeding Mascara
• 8. The Time Is Now
• 9. Ex’s and Oh’s
• 10. Gone
• 11. Battle Drums
• 12. Deathcore improvisation
• 13. Watch Me Burn
• 14. Falling Down
• 15. Warrior
• 16. Blow

— Encore —

• 17. Careless Whisper / Never Gonna Give You Up / Tequila (saxophone medley)
• 18. I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) (Whitney Houston cover)