FIVE MINUTES WITH
A classically trained pianist, violinist and pianist, Hannah is Creeper’s secret weapon – and a lowkey comedian to boot
How did you get into singing? What is your earliest singing memory?
“Well, I started off playing the violin – I actually got up to a Grade 8 [the highest grade in UK music exams]. Then I learnt the piano and part of the theory exam for that is singing. My piano teacher was also a vocal coach, so she asked if I’d ever considered singing and I thought I could give it a go. So I’m a classically trained vocalist. I applied to study it further, but they said my voice wasn’t mature enough and to return in a year. But, by then, I wanted to do something more contemporary…”
How do you bring that classical training into Creeper?
“I was head chorister and lead soprano at my school, so I’m good at constructing all the choral harmonies. I essentially layer my vocals – those ridiculously high notes in Cry To Heaven aren’t pitch-shifted, they’re me! It works well, because Creeper is obviously very theatrical.”
Are you a very theatrical person yourself?
“I’m a big musical theatre fan. I did quite a lot of theatre as a kid, classic stuff like Grease… I wish I’d kept up my acting. It’s been nice amping up the theatrics for live shows. The backstage chaos reminds me of school plays – running backstage, fighting your way out of an outfit, get your make-up sorted, run back out…”
The wedding dress you’ve knocked out a few times for Crickets is lovely!
“Sadly that’s long gone. We used to cover it in blood, so it got a bit mouldy.”
What was it like when you had to fill in for your singer, Will Gould, in 2022 at Rise Fest?
“My biggest problem is talking to the crowd. I’m not scared of it, exactly… I’m just a bit of a joker when I’m nervous. It’s a running joke in Creeper that I’m banned from making jokes onstage. So I tried desperately to not let that come outthen things started to go wrong. We started to have technical issues… so I had to fill the time with rambling. I think people find it endearing, luckily. But mine and Will’s personalities onstage are really different – I love having the moments where it’s just me and the crowd, but I like retreating and hiding behind my keyboard.”
Would you ever do solo stuff?
“Knowing me, if I ever did a solo t
