Thee Creepfreaks – Psychobilly band from London
It’s been over a decade since Thee Creepfreaks first crawled out of the shadows, and if you ask frontman Pete, the whole thing started as an accident—a casual jam that spiralled beautifully out of control.
“The band started in 2012,” Pete explains, “and it was out of boredom and because a friend of mine, Anthony, was learning how to play bass. We started jamming to get him up to speed… but I don’t like playing covers, so I started writing new material. From there, it just escalated into tours and recordings, etc.”
Since then, the band have become a cult staple of the UK underground, creating a sound that blends unholy doses of psychobilly, surf, and garage rock, served raw and dripping with horror. With just two bassist changes and a revolving trio of drummers over the years, the band’s been remarkably tight for such a chaotic genre—and that stability shows in their on-stage chemistry and growing fanbase.
What is Psychobilly?
Before we dive deeper into Thee Creepfreaks’ current work, it’s worth digging into the psychobilly genre itself—because it’s more than a sound. It’s a scene, a look, and a mindset.
Born in the early 1980s in the UK, psychobilly was a mutation of rockabilly, punk rock, and horror culture. Bands like The Meteors, The Cramps, and Demented Are Go brought it to life with upright bass slaps, greasy quiffs, B-movie references, and a tongue-in-cheek obsession with the macabre. It was fast, theatrical, rebellious, and proudly weird- offering an escape from the mundane, and a middle finger to the mainstream.
The scene grew into a subculture, with dedicated festivals, record labels, and a global community of “psychos” and “wrecking crew” moshers (named for the genre’s own style of slam dancing). But psychobilly was never meant for radio charts. It thrived in basements, back alleys, and tattooed enclaves—and that’s exactly where it found its power.
Pete says. “The sound is just what naturally comes out, but I guess the overall feel is psychobilly with an electric bass… but it has quite a bit of surf and garage in there too, so it makes it different.”
In that blend of sounds, Thee Creepfreaks have helped keep psychobilly relevant in the 21st century. Rather than replicating the past, they evolve it—injecting modern frustrations and post-pandemic paranoia into a genre born out of punk’s ashes.
Modern Monsters: What Drives Thee Creepfreaks
Lyrically, Thee Creepfreaks are unapologetically grim. Their songs are often steeped in horror imagery, but beneath the aesthetics lie deeper themes—anxiety, anger, and the creeping dread of everyday life.
“Inspiration to songs is normally just anger and complaints about the world,” Pete says, “mixed with horror films and singing about what people don’t want to think about—but we all know it’s happening around us…”
This blend of reality and fantasy is a staple of psychobilly. It’s not just about zombies and graveyards—it’s about using those metaphors to talk about society’s darker truths: fear, corruption, mental illness, conformity. Thee Creepfreaks are just continuing that legacy, albeit with more distortion and faster BPMs.
Back From the Grave (and Into the Studio)
“2017 was a big year for us, we released our first 7” single “El Dorado” just in time for a Halloween show in Berlin. Then, in January 2018, we released our debut album “Tales from Thee Creepfreaks” on Greystone Records.”
After tearing up stages across the USA and Europe last year, Thee Creepfreaks are turning their attention inward, working on new material and prepping for the studio once again.
“We’re working on a new album now,” Pete says, “and hoping to go to studio at the end of the year… possibly earlier.”
Their upcoming record promises to be another monstrous blend of gritty psychobilly riffs, warped surf breakdowns, and lyrics that dig up society’s skeletons and hang them on stage under a strobe light.
On the tour front, they’re keeping things more local (for now), with UK dates lined up in Brighton, London, and other familiar haunts. A few European shows are also in the works—always a welcome return for a band that thrives on international energy.
“Europe’s always nice,” Pete grins. “We’ve got a few dates that need confirmation. Last year was busy, so this year’s more about writing—but we’ll be back out there.”
Thee Creepfreaks in the Bigger Picture
The modern psychobilly revival isn’t about going retro. It’s about bringing the genre’s outsider energy to a new generation sick of polished pop and algorithm-approved mediocrity. Bands like Thee Creepfreaks are injecting new blood into an old corpse—and it’s very much alive.
With the rise of streaming and DIY culture, psychobilly is finding fresh life online and in grassroots venues across Europe, the UK, and even parts of Latin America and Japan, where the scene is thriving. These aren’t nostalgia acts—they’re new voices speaking the same chaotic truth in different accents and tempos.
“You hear the horror and scare in most songs,” Pete says. “It’s always been about more than gore—it’s about life, and how messed up it is.”
In an age of anxiety and digital doomscrolling, that message hits harder than ever.
Final Word: Psychobilly Lives On
Thee Creepfreaks aren’t just flying the flag for psychobilly—they’re cutting it into pieces and stitching it into a whole new monster. Whether you’re in it for the surfy licks, the horror shout-outs, or the cathartic rage wrapped in greasy hair, mohawks, and black eyeliner, this band is proof that the underground still has teeth.
So if you like your music fast, filthy, and a little feral—keep your eyes on the shadows. Thee Creepfreaks are writing the next chapter in a story that refuses to stay buried.
Stay freaky. Stay loud. Stay undead.
Images from @theecreepfreaks on Instagram
2MUCH 2RUDE 