Time in the sun
UK-based punk band Creeper looks forward to Warped Tour
It’s a sunny day in Southampton, England, and Will Gould is enjoying the extra vitamin D.
The singer might as well get used to seeing the sun more. Gould will soon be on the road in the United States as part of the Vans Warped Tour with his band, Creeper.
“In England, we don’t have anything like Warped Tour,” he says during a recent phone interview. “Many of our favorite bands played the tour in the past. We’re still in shock that we’re joining the tour this year.”
While Gould is overcome with emotions about the tour, he does realize that he’s going to have to ditch his black leather jacket.
“People keep telling me about the jacket,” he says with a laugh. “I’ve bought a jacket that doesn’t have sleeves.”
Creeper, formed in 2014, is signed to Roadrunner Records.
Joining Gould in the band is Ian Miles, Hannah Greenwood, Sean Scott, Dan Bratton and Oliver Burdett.
Creeper has released a couple of EPs, and this year the band released its debut full-length album, “Eternity, in Your Arms.”
With the release of the album in March, Creeper is one of the most buzzed about bands in the Warped Tour. They will perform on the bigger Full Sail University stage.
“It’s overwhelming to think about how far we’ve come,” Gould says. “Since the album was released, it’s been a whirlwind. We’re constantly on the go and it’s a great thing.”
Gould says writing for the album took a few years.
“We wanted to get the visual and the story to coincide,” he says. “Then we had to figure out how we were going to release it. We kept the album and the storyline a secret. We wanted it all to be a surprise. Now fans can listen to the entire album and go on a journey with the story.”
Though Gould would like to perform the new album in its entirety, he realizes that Warped Tour is filled with 30-minute sets.
And the band hasn’t performed a short set in years.
“It reminds me of when we first started out,” he says. “We’re hoping to do a version of our old sets. But we’ve evolved into a very theatrical show. I think the way I see it in my mind will translate well into the Warped set.”
Gould and crew know that hot weather will be the norm for the tour.
He says there will be plenty of water to drink.
“The best part is touring in your country,” he says. “It’s so big. In England, it’s usually a couple-hour drive to get to a destination. In the States, we can drive eight hours to get to the next stop. We’re going to get to see a lot of America.”