Huxton Creepers
Combining elements of power pop, grunge, and hard edged rock
n roll that only comes out of Melbourne, the Huxton Creepers were one of the of
the best bands to come out of Victoria in the 80s. After three well received
LPs and non-stop touring, the Creepers, while only round for five years,
certainly made their mark on the scene in Melbourne but also all over the
country, playing anywhere and everywhere. The Creepers are back playing a rare
show at the Corner Hotel Saturday 27 August, along with other 80s legends the
Gas Babies and Intoxica.
Lead singer Rob Craw was happy to reminisce on the bands
original run, and also what keeps them coming back for more.
Munster: you’re playing a gig at the Corner, a rare show for
you guys, what led to this?
Rob: Essentially, two-three years ago we did a gig at the
Curtin Hotel. We hadn’t played for a while, we used to play every three- four
years. A lot of people want to see us and we get feedback on Facebook. We were
meant to do two shows at the Curtin, one was sold out, but we decided to do one
show, and do a bigger one at the Corner. Then covid hit, so we plan of finishing
what we planned to do. We might even have a new song to play around with, a
different cover. We have an audience that want to see us and we still all enjoy
each other’s company, weirdly enough after all these years. When you’re a young
band, spending hours in a van together you annoy the crap out of each other
after a while. But it’s good to catch up, and that’s why we do it.
Munster: And this Corner gig will be the Gas Babies first
gig since the 80s?
Rob: Yes. I was speaking to Russell (Baricevic) a while back
and he confirmed it is. I think there missing one member who is in London. We
used to love playing with them, and we have Intoxica, and several members of
Intoxica used to be in the Corps Grinders, we used to play all these swamp nights, not that where a swamp band, at the
Prince of Wales and Seaview ballroom, and we loved the Corps Grinders, was
great to play with them.
Munster: Essendon Airport a few years back had a re-release,
and I read an interview, and when asked if the band was going to reform for
some shows, one of the members mentioned they had a rehearsal but the magic
wasn’t there any more so they didn’t bother. I take it the Creepers don’t have
that issue?
Rob: No, as you get older you have your differences of
opinion on somethings, and that’s always there, but we were young, Matthew self-tough
himself the bass, I was a hack, Paul was the only one that could play an
instrument properly. We should be a little bit better then what we used to be
with our skills. But there is nothing better than being match fit, because we
used to tour endlessly, so we could play our songs with our eyes closed. But we
still have the energy and fun, never took ourselves too seriously. And that’s
why we can still do this, as there’s no pretence about what we were. We were a
rock n roll pub band, good time enjoy yourselves, and chat with the crowd, so
there was no super high benchmark to reach.
Munster: You guys all met in Scotch Collage, how did you all
met up, and what connected you guys?
Rob: I got together with Paul, as we both had elder sisters
that were into alternative music at the time. Paul’s sister was a Birdman fan,
I was into the Saints, my sister gave me one of my first singles which was
Human Fly by the Cramps. So we were exposed to indie music at a young age. Paul
was a great guitarists, and a really good double bass player. Matthew said he
was interested in playing, he never played bass but we thought about it so we
said you’re in, Archie had played drums, and I wanted to write songs. Our first
rehearsals, we loved the Saints EP Paralytic Tonight, Dublin tomorrow, so our
first rehearsals was going track by track and learning that EP. I played with Paul
and played other songs. When he was younger he was in soul bands as well. So we
had a mix of influences, we liked soul music but we loved inde rock as well as
new wave rock, the Pretenders, Elvis Costello, and also inspired by that melodic
pop aspect hence the Flamin Groovies. But our first rehearsal was Paralytic Tonight,
Dublin Tomorrow.
Munster: Listening to your records, there is a variety of
styles, bit of pop, bit of punk, but also a bit of grunge, and you guys were
after the Scientists’ but pre Nirvana.
Rob: Yeah but there was a lot of influences, we were into
the Stooges, we used to cover Search and Destroy so we’re influenced by what
they call punk, I just call it good rock n roll, like the Clash, we were influenced
by a rough sound, but when we recorded our first LP, all the rough edges where
smoothed out, big studio, two produces, and the record company trying to break
us into the mainstream, a lot of our sound was processed but that was the 80s,
happened to a lot of bands, such as the Models. We were young, we didn’t know
how to say no, to many thing sway you when your 20.
Munster: You mentioned people trying tO change your sound to
break the band into the mainstream, did the record labels want you to tighten
thing up a bit or did they want a 180 of your look and sound?
Rob: We signed with an indie label called Big Time, that the
Hoodoo Gurus were on. They were great as an indie label, and they really wanted
our songs to be heard. We didn’t shy against being played on top 40 radio, as
we write guitar rock songs, we would fit into that market. We didn’t see
ourselves as the darlings of the indie scene just saw us as a band that produced
rock/pop songs, and we could have a chance at getting our songs heard. With
that process, going into the studio with a bit of money, the engineers want to
play with technology, there’s pressure from radio, I was even told our songs
need to be 120 beats per minute to get on commercial radio. So there’s all
these pressures coming from all directions, and unless you have a solid idea
yourselves and a manager backing you for your vision, the process drives you to
that cleaner sound, if your spending weeks in a studio you may go through that
organic process so it’s a whole lot of factors that push you in that direction.
But looking back I wish we had said to ourselves this isn’t what we wanted when
we started, wish we dug our heels on and said the songs are good, let’s not do
the drum machine because radio wants it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRLKYNU8xN4
Munster: The Creepers to me seemed like one of those bands
that had that cross over, like the Sunnyboys or Hunters and Collectors, in the
sense that you could see a band like the Creepers being played on both Triple M
and Triple R. A band both the mainstream and the underground can enjoy.
Rob: I mean we wanted that cross over, but didn’t necessarily
achieve it. The only times we really got played on commercial radio was when we
did covers, and we thought that would be the lead in to maybe our next LP which
was recorded more organically. Real drums, not too processed. And we had some
songs that I thought would be a step into it, but we didn’t get picked up. And
our label Big Time got picked up via BMG, and we got assumed into BMG and got
lost in the process, less focus on us. But hey, that’s the story of rock n
roll. Also we didn’t work hard enough on our craft. You know, write 40 songs
keep 10. Fun was what we were about. So we aimed for the mainstream just didn’t
get in there.
Munster: Considering in the 80s there was a bunch of
Australian bands based in Europe, was there any plans on an attack on Europe. Or
the states?
Rob: Absolutely. We had a few songs on the collage charts in
the states. Our manager went over to line up a tour for us, he went to LA and
New York, and that’s when Big Time got taken over via BMG. So he went, and we
had plans, and then it feel apart. We did get to New Zealand. So that was
something. Again we got lost in the process and things slowed down. So due to
the collage radio thing we aimed on the states, but it didn’t happen. It’s not
a sad story. We did have fun. Frustrating, but not sad (laughs).
Munster: A mate of mine wanted me to bring this up, he says
he saw you guys perform in his high school gym, somewhere in NSW in 1986, when
the school won a contest on Triple M, and the prize was a band playing at his
school, but they didn’t know who the band would be til the night of the gig.
Rob: And they got us (laughs). One year we played over 250
gigs. Back then there was no house PAs , and we worked really hard gaining a
live audience. So we would push for gigs and do things like high schools. I
remember the high school that I work, I played there once, and when I went for
the job that was brought up. We had Jeremy Oxley as the MC. So high schools,
Leagues clubs, gyms in the middle of nowhere, we did everything. All these
places like Parramatta Leagues clubs, sometimes it’s empty, or sometimes full
but no ones paying attention. So your mate would have seen us as we toured
relentlessly.
Munster: What does the future hold for the band? Any plans
on returning to the studio?
Rob: Maybe back to the studio, but I’d like to do a giveaway
vinyl. When we first played we had a giveaway 7 inch. That was before we recorded
properly. That kind of thing I’m interested in. And I’d like to get our second
LP (So This is Paris) on CD as well. I think we released it on CD at the time,
but I’ve lost my copy. Got it on vinyl but want it on CD. We’ll still do shows,
but we don’t want to be that heritage act that plays every year, maybe do Sydney,
Brisbane then come back a few years later. I don’t want it to be “hey there’s a
festival lets jump on that”. Its nice doing it when we can, and to pub audiences
who want to come back. It’s also a great way to catch up with people, our last
gig at the Curtin friends from Brisbane and Perth came down. It’s a great
community to be around.
Huxton Creepers play the Corner Hotel, Saturday 27 August,
with Intoxica and the Gas Babies.
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