Why Artists Love Creepy Teepee, The Misbehaving Czech Fest Where The Internet's Underground Gathers
Creepy Teepee has never really behaved like a normal festival. For years, it has felt more like a physical meeting point for the internet's underground: a low-cap gathering where artists you've only just started seeing pop up online end up on the same bill, often before the rest of the world catches up.
With a tiny capacity of a 1000 people, part of what makes Creepy Teepee special is how little it seems to follow the usual festival playbook. Rather than committing to one particular musical lane, the festival has built a reputation for evolving with the cultural moment - consistently identifying artists shaping it before they become obvious festival bookings. It has a rare willingness to take chances on emerging acts while keeping the feeling of something DIY, strange and personal.
Previous editions in Kutná Hora placed that energy inside a medieval Czech town known for its gothic architecture and bone church, giving Creepy Teepee an atmosphere somewhere between a summer camp, squat party and a DIY music convention.
"I felt like I was in a little Lego town and all the people I’ve been talking to online for years were just plopped into this place all at once."
This year, the festival moves to Prague, opening a new chapter for one of the world's most quietly influential underground music festivals. Ahead of this year's edition, we spoke to artists who have performed at Creepy Teepee - including Pretty Sick, Ms Gloom and Kamixlo - about what makes it so special, from the performances they still think about to why its lineups keep feeling ahead of the curve.
What makes Creepy Teepee so special?
Pretty Sick: The artists. The people. The place.
Ms Gloom: I don’t think I’ve experienced any festival quite like it. I felt like I was in a little Lego town and all the people I’ve been talking to online for years were just plopped into this place all at once. It felt like school of rock vibes or like we were at some music summer camp - sitting in the dining hall drinking vodka and running into each other in the hallway. For some reason it feels more like a talent show instead of a music festival. It’s very intimate.
"They keep an eye out for all the new and not-so-knew exciting stuff and that just makes for a super taped-in and genuinely sick festival."
Ultra Caro: For me, it’s always been the curation. Even before I ever attended I was amazed by the lineups. You can tell they keep an eye out for all the new and not-so-knew exciting stuff and that just makes for a super tapped in and genuinely sick festival.
Kelora (Ben): Its like the internet meeting irl in a medieval gothic monastery. One of those things that feels impossible or almost like it shouldn’t happen but somehow it does.
Heartcoregirl: It feels like a convention for real underground artists, many with cult followings online, and imo the most authentic and exciting music being made at the moment.
Prison Religion: Kutna Hora, which it unfortunately will no longer be held in, was an awesome location. But the real soul of Creepy Teepee comes from the curation and on-the-pulse DIY feel of the whole thing. Felt like a family reunion or something.
Meuko! Meuko!: Honestly, one of the most fun festivals I've ever played. As soon as the festival started, I could immediately feel this really strong underground energy. The whole landscape felt like a road movie. There was something raw, trippy, wild, and almost sacred about the whole atmosphere. I absolutely loved that combination of spiritual and chaotic energy.
Hatechild: Creepy has been a dissentient haven to the underground for years now. it always feels like home.
What's the best performance you've seen there?
Pretty Sick: Snow Strippers.
Ultra Caro: I remember seeing this band M(h)aol, they sang a song about a dead dog, which I believe they were sad about but they kept making jokes about it, I just really liked their energy. I don’t have a lot of opportunities to see post-punk stuff so that was exciting for me. Also Casey MQ’s set was really sweet, lots of work went into this performance.
"It prioritises the freaks and anti-fascists over a commercial and capitalist experience."
Heartcoregirl: My friend Wounder was insane and brilliant , and so was my friend Charlie Osborne’s performance. Both really hit deep, made me super emotional.
Prison Religion: One of my favourite performances was Felix Lee, who played the same day as us in 2024. Pure catharsis.
Hatechild: Probably In Heaven Everything Is Fine in 2023.
Wounder: Mitsubishi Suicide and Prison Religion 2024. Both some of the best performances I've ever witnessed.
Meuko! Meuko!: I played on the same stage as bod (包家巷), whose music I’d been listening to since around 2017, so it was really exciting to finally share a stage with him.
" It feels like a convention for real underground artists, many with cult followings online, and imo the most authentic and exciting music being made at the moment."
What does it do better than other festivals?
Kamixlo: It really feels like it’s being done for the love of the game. Most festivals always feel corporate and a little soulless but Creepy Teepee has always been for the art. They’re the best.
Pretty Sick: Bring interesting people together.
Ms Gloom: I swear the suits need to pay attention to the lineups. Whoever books for Creepy Teepee should be an A&R or something and I’ve been saying that for years. There have been really small artists that I’d obsess over on SoundCloud, thinking I may never see them live or even questioning if they were real or not … and then they would show up on the Creepy Teepee lineup. I think they do a good job of diversifying the genres and including artists that are very new mixed in with more established ones.
Ultra Caro: It feels very family-like in terms of how the production of the festival takes care of the artists. There’s a genuine sense of community and I remember talking to some of the organisers, these guys have been doing it for the love of it for so long and they’ve all started as friends, and you can really feel this when you’re there.
"The curation is great, you could literally go see any act at creepy and you know it’s gonna be good."
Heartcoregirl: The fact their line ups aren’t based on major label bribes, or some fake music industry leverage. Creepy teepee doesn’t care how big or small the artist is , how experimental they are or what genre. The curation is great, you could literally go see any act at creepy and you know it’s gonna be good.
Prison Religion The aesthetic and selection of the artists playing makes it feel very fresh and aware. Looking forward to hearing how it goes in the new location in Prague. Much love.
Hatechild: It prioritises the freaks and anti-fascists over a commercial and capitalist experience.
Kelora (Kitty): It has a loyal crowd who go there knowing they will see something new, so they are really free with their programming and you will probably see someone there first. I think also that it’s not commercial , you don’t feel like your going to a giant sponsored event that’s really important i think. Artists like to play something real.
Wounder: Taking big gambles on booking small artists and consistently booking them before they get big.
Meuko! Meuko!: The connection with the audience was so strong. It felt like we were all completely locked into the same frequency. After I finished, someone in the crowd shouted, “That must be the best of the festival!” Then one of the stage crew walked up to me - I thought they were going to tell me my time was up, but instead they said, “We’d love you to play five more minutes.” It was such a touching moment, and I’ll never forget it.
