This year’s ‘Creepshow’ spectacular at the iconic Espy was a sensory feast for all beings dark and demonic. More than 20 bands took the stage over the three levels of the venue, with little in common except their walk on the dark side and their commitment to providing a stimulating visual and aural experience.
Beginning at around 5pm and rocking through until midnight, it was impossible to see all of every set played by every band, but there were some standouts that are definitely worth a mention.
If you’ve ever been to one of these demon fests, you will know that it’s almost as interesting to watch the punters, as it is to see and hear the bands. Some went to extraordinarily lengths to look genuinely frightening and a few shares in the fake blood manufacturing industry wouldn’t have gone astray. All the zombies, vampires, witches, freak show characters, skeletons, ghosts and other macabre incarnations came together to enhance the event and make the night seem genuinely creepy. The drunken accident victims were a little too convincing, but they were understandably wobbly on their feet due to fake blood loss and the fact that they had arrived at the Espy early and the only medical attention they’d received were regular infusions of (ahem…) medicinal concoctions.
It was an apt forum for Hatchet Dawn to launch their album Rebirth. One of the newer kids on the block, the group is barely born, let alone re-born, but when you consider their particular brand of toxic, gothic horror rock, they may just be singing about the raising up of the dead (or un-dead). In 2009 they toured with Marilyn Manson and no matter what you think of Marilyn, this alone bodes fairly well for a band’s future and says something about the quality of its music and the professionalism of the unit. Their focus is to provide punters with a horror movie type of experience, which gives a clue as to how theatrical the band is. Visuals aside, the music is the crux of any group, and happily the strong instrument playing and vocals provided enough interest to keep sound-weary punters listening.
Also worth mentioning are The Scarlets. Nellie Scarlet is a classically trained singer whose career includes playing at the Opera House. Fortunately for the less classically inclined punters, Nellie enjoys a diverse range of musical styles, and that interest combined with her strong vocal talent means The Scarlets are one of the groups that will ensure the survival of punk as a genre. With an average age of about 22, the purists may argue that culturally The Scarlets are about as relevant to the punk movement as, say, fairies or marshmallows, but these punksters are quite the academics. They immerse themselves in intellectual pursuits and somehow manage to combine the words of gothic and angry poets into their lyrics. You don’t always need to live in trash to write the thrash.
On the way out of the Espy we were lured back by sirens to the basement by a band called Rocket Queen. This five-piece group are yet another unsigned Melbourne outfit, (played and promoted by a well-known alternative rock radio station), which warms the heart of anyone concerned about the future of Australian hard rock. The three Freeland sisters and two ‘honorary’ Freelands know how to ‘pound it’ with their raw and entertaining vocal and instrumental style. I believe a number of the punters were drawn by the ‘eye-candy’ value, but it didn’t take long before they were won over by sheer talent. Rocket Queen has supported Dallas Crane, and is a becoming a local Melbourne staple for good
reason.
This could become an essay of epic proportions because positive things could be said of all the Creepshow bands. It was a wicked festival of the most evil kind and worth keeping on your Halloween list of ‘things to do’ for 2012.
– Sharon Brookes
