One of the first and most influential independent record labels in Greece, Creep Records, which was founded in Athens in 1982, played a major role in the circulation of music, counterculture, and ideas. Its short but rich catalog featured some of the most important bands of the domestic new wave, post punk, and dark wave scenes. In just four years, Creep released a series of iconic albums, which to this day remain works of priceless emotional and historical value. On the other hand, it is impressive that the bands have their own material, promoting this and not any possible covers, quickly gaining a foothold, playing regularly in the clubs of the time (Aretousa, Sofita, Kyttaro, Pegasos, etc.) and creating a small, but fanatical audience, which would support, to the extent possible, the discography, despite wider suspicion.
Various – Return Of The Creeps - The Singles
Label: FM Records – FM 8226, Ήχος & Hi-Fi – 49/323, Creep Records – none
Format: CD, Compilation, Reissue
Country: Greece
Released: 2000
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Post-Punk, New Wave
TRAXS
01. Metro Decay – Κειμήλια = Treasures 4:26
Performer – Αντ. Μανιάτης, Γ. Μανιάτης, Κ. Μάστορης
02. Clown – Κλόουν = Clown 3:5
Performer – Γ. Αναστασόπουλος, Ευ. Τσιπούρας, Η. Αναστασόπουλος, Πην. Λάππα
03. Yell-O-Yell – Imitation Of The Real 1:30
Performer – Ευάγ. Καζιλιέρης, Φιλώτας Βασκαλής, Χαρ. Κυρκιλής
04. Villa 21 – Move 5:44
Performer – Άννα Ποθουλάκη, Ανδ. Παπαδόπουλος, Κ. Ποθουλάκης, Μπ. Δαλίδης
05. Headleaders – Voices 2:15
Performer – Σπ. Φάρος, Ιωσήφ Μπασελιέ, Λάκης Χαλκιόπουλος, Φρανκ Βακούλας
06. The Reporters – I Wanna Know 4:03
Performer – Γ. Ρουμάνης, Κ. Ποθουλάκης, Χρυσ.Μουράτογλου, Π. Καραμικές, Σ. Σταθόπουλος
07. Clown – Λευκά Κελλιά = White Cells 4:35
Performer – Γ. Αναστασόπουλος, Ευ.Τσιπούρας, Ηλ. Αναστασόπουλος, Πην. Λάππα
08. Metro Decay – Σκιές = Shadows 3:25
Performer – Αν. Μανιάτης, Γ. Μανιάτης, Κ. Μάστορης
09. Yell-O-Yell – Crow's Complaint 4:30
Performer – Ευάγ. Καζιλιέρης, Φιλ. Βασκαλής, Χαρ. Κυρκιλής
10. Villa 21 – My Last Chance 3:35
Performer – Άννα Ποθουλάκη, Ανδ. Παπαδόπουλος, Κ. Ποθουλάκης, Μπ. Δαλίδης
11. Art Of Parties – Central Room 3:55
Performer – Αθαν. Οικονόμου, Κ. Κυριακίδης, Παν. Βασιλάκης
Performer, Music By [Uncredited], Lyrics By [Uncredited] – Δημ. Βασιλάκης
12. Headleaders – Her Ways Are Cold 2:50
Performer – Σπ. Φάρος, Ιωσήφ Μπασελιέ, Λάκης Χαλκιόπουλος, Φρανκ Βακούλας
13. The Reporters – Computer World 3:40
Performer – Γ. Ρουμάνης, Κ. Ποθουλάκης, Χρυσ. Μουράτογλου, Παρ. Καραμικές, Σόλων Σταθόπουλος
14. Art Of Parties – Last Time 4:30
Performer – Δημ. Βασιλάκης, Κ. Κυριακίδης
Performer, Music By [Uncredited], Lyrics By [Uncredited] – Αθαν. Οικονόμου, Παν. Βασιλάκης
15. Headleaders – I'm Living Like A Fool 4:00
Performer – Σπ. Φάρος, Ιωσήφ Μπασελιέ, Λάκης Χαλκιόπουλος, Φρανκ Βακούλας
16. Villa 21 – I See No! 5:05
Performer – Άννα Ποθουλάκη, Ανδ. Παπαδόπουλος, Κ. Ποθουλάκης, Μπ. Δαλίδης
17. Yell-O-Yell – Shoot The Truth 6:30
Performer – Ευάγ. Καζιλιέρης, Φιλώτας Βασκαλής, Χαρ. Κυρκιλής
NOTES
Track 1 title is not actually translated, but loosly transliterated. The correct word could be 'heirlooms" or "relics".
Track 3 title is incorrectly listed as "Immitation Of The Real".
METRO DECAY
New Wave group formed in Athens, Greece, in 1981. The group was founded by Costas Mastoris
(Κώστας Μάστορης, keyboards) and Yannis Maniatis (Γιάννης Μανιάτης, drums), with Maniatis' younger brother Antonis (Αντώνης Μανιάτης, vocals, guitar), as well as Yannis Rodites (bass) soon joining in. Their first public appearance took place at the Kyttaro club in the spring of 1982 in Athens. Their major break-through came in September, in the legendary 3-Day festival at Sporting Stadium, supporting The Birthday Party, in front of a very hostile audience. After that Roditis left the band, joining Magic De Spell. The group vowed to continue as a trio, writing completely new songs. Around
that time, Babis Dallidis of Creep Records (2) heard about them, and suggested they do a single for his label. In March 1983, the single "Κimilia / Skies" was released. In 1984, their first and only full-length album was released, again by Creep Records, which had been recorded in November 1983. The first album by the band Metro Decay was titled ''Transcendence''. This is a landmark album in the Greek rock scene. The album includes eight tracks, three of which are instrumental.
CLOWN
In 1983, their first and only album was released. It
was a 7'' vinyl "Clown / White Cells", with two songs ("Clown" and "White Cells"), which was released by the historic "Creep Records". In the song "White Cells", the lyrics conveyed the meaning of the white cells of Stammheim, in the isolation of everyday life. The band Clown was one of the most
distinctive bands of the underground Greek music scene. With their intelligent compositions, combination of new wave, post-punk and more general alternative elements, as well as their unique lyrics, the group still exudes mystery and interest to this day.
YELL-O-YELL
They formed in 1982 in Athens, Greece. One of the darkest band of the greek post punk scene . Later
the bassist of Headleaders (and also member of Rehearsed Dreams) participated at the band. They made a lot of appearances along with Headleaders and Villa 21. They were the first group that signed at the legendary Creep Records. Between 1982 and 1983 they released the 7" "Shoot The Truth" with three tracks and a mini lp titled "Funtime". In 1984 they released the lp "Hello Hell" again on Creep Records,
and in ' 86 the lp ΧΙΙ-13 from Smash Records. (The other greek post punk label which released only 3 Lp's). The drummer of the band on lp ΧΙΙ-13 was Andreas Ferdianakis. Ex member of punk band "ex humans" and later member of "south of no north" and be bop jungle (The other greek post punk label which released only 3 Lp's). Unfortunately the singer / guitarist Fill Scars died in early 90's from drugs overdose.
VILLA 21
This is one of the greatest bands made in Greece... Αt the end of 1981 Kostas Pothoulakis (former
member of " Parthenogenesis " ) and Adda Labara formed Villa 21. The punk and the new wave experience of pothoulakis in "Parthenogenesis" and "The Reporters " along with the music influences of the rest of band's members created the final sound of Villa 21. Villa 21, Their first appearrance was at "sofita" club in 1982. In 1984 supported Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and in 1987 "Membranes" and "Wipers". At Creep Records released their first single (1982) called "villa 21", also the single "move"
(1983) and on the same year the Lp "A Ghost On The Move". Also in October 1988, "Wipe Out Records" will release an EP, in 1000 copies, with four songs, by the group Villa 21, entitled ''House Of The Damned''. The recording of the album ''House Of The Damned'' took place at Blue Moon Studios on July 9, 10 and 11, 1988. The album moves on more rock paths than what we were accustomed to from the band ''Villa 21'' in their early years and was one of the independent albums that crossed the
Greek borders and sold satisfactorily abroad (America and Europe), garnering significant reviews from the Greek and international press. Also participated in "World Class Punk" tape compilation of "Roir records" They released some more records but they changed gradually their music style to garage punk. The band disbanted in 1991. In 1993 Kostas Pothoulakis was killed in a car accident.
HEADLEADERS
Post-punk group formed in Kypseli, Athens (Greece), in 1981 by teenagers Lakis Halkiopoulos
(guitar, vocals, songwriter), Josef Bachelier (drums, vocals) and Frank Vacula (vocals). After a few months of rehearsing, they recorded 3 songs, with Spyros Faros joining in on bass. The single "Voices" was released in 1982 by Creep Records (2). After that Vacula had to leave the band, for his (mandatory) army service. The group frequently played in Athens underground club 'Sofita' alongside
fellow Creep bands, Yell-O-Yell and Villa 21. After releasing their debut album "What It Means To Me", they disbanded in late 1983. Faros went on to form Rehearsed Dreams (and also played with Yell-O-Yell), Bachelier played with Next To Nothing (2), and Halkiopoulos played in Fade (14) (aka Secondhand Daylights). Halkiopoulos and Bachelier also formed the project Folder#9 in 1999 (playing in a different style than before). Josef Bachelier died in 2006. Spyros Faros passed away in 2022.
THE REPORTERS
A few gems made it amidst the anemic Greek new-wave scene, like this debut by the Reporters,
offering a neat compromise between angst and accessibility. formed in early 80s. Band member kostas Pothoulakis also participated in other bands like "Parthenogenesis" (the first new wave band in greece) and Villa 21. They released a 7" in 1982 and the lp "Bare hands" in 1983. In true new-wave fashion, "Fear" combines tight danceable grooves along with tense, In true new-wave fashion, "Fear" combines tight danceable grooves along with tense, claustrophobic synthesizers. Their sound becomes even more
effective with "You And I" - which alternates between slow and fast tempos and is garnished with tormented sound-effects. "Bare Hands" is the best yet, built around a progressive structure: at first a slow-motion cold-funk, which then gets really tormented with a synthesizer deviation, before it embarks in a cyclonic journey of frozen agony.
ART OF PARTIES
A band somewhere between new wave and new romantics, they formed in the early 80s in Athens, Greece, and took their name from a track out of the "Tin Drum" album by the British band Japan. In
early 1980, schoolmates Θανάσης (classically trained guitarist) and Παντελής (self-taught multi-instrumentalist) started jam sessions in the Athens suburbs of Nea Smyrni and Palaio Faliro, trying to indoctrinate each other into their favorite artists (Van Der Graaf Generator, Peter Hammill, & Peter Gabriel VS The Beatles, Bowie, & The Jam). About a year in, schoolmate Γιώργος Ορφανουδάκης, who was working at an Athens record store at the time, joined in on drums. His broad exposure to all kinds of new music (Talking Heads, Medium Medium, Echo and the Bunnymen, Japan, Roxy Music, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Specials, and many more) and the addition of Δημήτρης on bass were a defining influence to the band's aesthetic, an influence that followed them for years to come. They performed ~a dozen of gigs, mainly at outdoor mini festivals and private houses, before they were
approached by Μπάμπης Δαλίδης of Creep Records in 1983. Γιώργος was replaced by Κώστας Κυριακίδης, another Nea Smyrni native and the most experienced performer in the band at the time, as the rehearsals for the upcoming recording sessions were getting under way. There are no Art Of Parties recordings available with Γιώργος Ορφανουδάκης on drums. Γιώργος has since owned and operated various restaurants, exhibition spaces, and nightlife spots in Athens, including the famous Stavlos in Θησείον. He continued drumming with The Brush, a garage band, from 1985 to 1992, and then again from 2005 to 2012. He currently runs at Aplika in Nea Smyrni.
