CREEPER | KOKO | 30.05.2025

Creeper made a triumphant return to Camden KOKO on May 30th, performing ‘Sanguivore’ in its entirety. KOKO is a venue well known to Creeper fans for being the final resting place of the Callous Heart jackets when Creeper announced their breakup in 2018 with the infamous line, “This will be the last show we ever play.”
The promotional material for the KOKO show appeared to be a vampire hunter’s briefcase, soundtracked by Fred Astaire’s cover of ‘I’ve Got My Eyes On You,’ sending whispers of theories throughout the Creeper fanbase about the potential slaying of the ‘Sanguivore’ era. There was a lot of mystery and anticipation surrounding this show and the future of Creeper.

Whilst fans queued, a mysterious figure lurked, silently pacing back and forth eerily across Camden High Street. This figure wore a Halloween vampire mask, a black cloak, and a handmade sandwich board  that read, “THE END IS NIGH.” A terrifying message, especially for unaware passersby.
Outside of The Haunt at The Camden, where Creeper fans flocked like a murder of crows for merchandise from the archives and Creeper themed cocktails, sat a lonely black hearse. Hidden in plain sight, a subtle nod to what was to come. Perhaps the very same hearse from the ‘Black Heaven’ visualiser, this hearse had a beautiful purple flower arrangement in the back window, spelling out ‘CREEPER.’ Together, these made fans nervous… It was a looming message of the end; a funeral. 

Unlike previously, where the pre-show soundtrack had been in-theme songs or the Atmosfear soundtrack, this time it was a constant loop of a thematic, melancholic piano track, very alike to something heard at a funeral. It had elements reminiscent of instrumentals from The Labyrinth (1986), and something you would hear out of a gothic horror film. It was a very hauntingly beautiful piece, but it kept fans nervous as to what to expect from this show — was it a funeral after all? 

Once again, the curtain dropped, and this time Darcia, accompanied by Creeper’s photographer Harry Steel, were looming beside a CRT television with a VHS tape titled ‘Sanguivore’ in hand. Darcia introduced the show with bold and plain references to Scooby Doo and its many sequels, poking fun at the goofiness that can come with horror, whilst hinting at what was to come. Once Darcia placed the ‘Sanguivore’ VHS tape into the TV, the long awaited horror show was set to begin…

Sporting their usual stage attire of leather jackets, vampire makeup, and fake blood, they claimed the stage as their own.
Creeper, as suggested by the show’s title, performed ‘Sanguivore’ in its entirety. It was a fantastic experience hearing the record live from back to front, although a little disappointing that the B-Sides ‘Love and Pain’ and ‘Phantom Fantasia’ had been left out of the performance. ‘More Than Death’ has only been performed a few times now, and this was definitely the best one of it yet; the crowd hung on every syllable of this song, tears in their eyes, hugging their loved ones as William Von Ghould’s soothing, crooning voice poured through the venue.

Having attended over thirty Creeper shows at this point, this was by far the loudest Creeper show I have had the pleasure of attending. The sold-out crowd sang every word so incredibly loud, especially during the quieter, tender tracks like ‘More Than Death’ and ‘Misery,’ that at points the wonderful chorus emanating from the audience overshadowed Von Ghould’s gorgeous vocals. It was a very moving aspect of the show. 

Once they had performed ‘Sanguivore’, there was one of Jake Fogarty and Hannah Hermione’s drum-offs, followed by Fogarty’s impeccable drum solo, accentuated by the awesomely tall drum riser, leading into ‘Down Below.’ They continued on with a second setlist of tracks from their previous records, including ‘Suzanne.’ This featured a very special appearance from Tyler of Save Face, who joined the stage as a Sanguivore-ish vampire, performing alongside William Von Ghould. Their vocals worked exceptionally well together, melding together in perfect harmonies, and they revived the original version of the lyrics back from the dead for one night, and one night only. 

At the end of the show, everyone except William Von Ghould disappeared from the stage. He stepped back, absorbed by and embracing the audience’s astoundingly loud applause and cheers, whilst a menacing, muscular, masked being — a dreaded Vampire Hunter — crept in and appeared beside him. Then, the curtain dropped.

Projected onto the sheer curtain was Darcia beside a CRT television once again. The ‘Sanguivore’ VHS tape was removed and, frankly, discarded. Then, a second VHS tape with many question marks written on the label was placed in its stead. 
First, static, and then, a fast compilation clip of Creeper’s music videos from each era, before ‘CHAPTER 3. death swallowed by death, evil destroys itself, consumed by its own destruction’ appeared on the screen. Next, playback of a gory, intense, nail-biting short horror film directed by Harry Steel. It was soundtracked by Creeper performing a cover of the 1939 song ‘I’ve Got My Eyes On You’ by Cole Porter from the musical ‘Broadway Melody of 1940,’ possibly more famously known by Fred Astaire’s cover of it. Gould has always used references to Fred Astaire in his projects, dating back to the Our Time Down Here days. 
The short film portrayed the vampires asleep in their coffins while being hunted down by the very same Vampire Hunter from the end of the show. A mysterious new character in the world of Creeper. They had caught William Von Ghould and attempted to stake him in his slumber, but he — as did the others — awoke. A tussle emerged between Creeper and The Vampire Hunter, until the stake was over Von Ghould’s eyeball. The crowd were kept in anticipation until The Vampire Hunter drove the stake into his eye. It was graphic, gory, and bloody jarring. The screen cut to black, and for a harrowing moment it was no longer a question of ‘is this a funeral,’ but who or what was this funeral for?

Finally, a message appeared on the screen: ‘SANGUIVORE II: MISTRESS OF DEATH.’ 

Creeper announced they will return this Halloween with a sequel to ‘Sanguivore,’ an ‘album that wouldn’t stay dead.’

It seemed as if Creeper were the most confident they’d ever been, and it really shined through in this performance — and as they should be; they smashed it! The show was fun, bombastic, whimsical, and a gothic horror spectacle from start to bloody end. Fans left ecstatic for more, desiring ‘Sanguivore II’ already. It was truly a show to remember as we set off into the Mistress of Death era.