The Cribs - The Cambridge Junction

In my eyes there are three classes of gigs. Utter car crashes which destroy your faith in live music (I have had my fair share of these, Blur at the Manchester Apollo in 2003 being a notable example), enjoyable yet ultimately forgettable gigs, and gigs so amazing that they emotionally beat you into submission and don’t ever allow you to forget them.

In all my years of gig going I have experienced the latter only a handful of times. One of these times was The Cribs at Leeds Festival in 2007. After an incredible set (including a raucous version of Be Safe with Lee Ronaldo (of Sonic Youth fame) video accompaniment) the power was cut and the entire 20,000 strong crowd sung I’m a Realist acapella (including all the guitar parts) How, you may ask, could The Cribs possibly top this...well seemingly effortlessly...bastards. The Junction is a perfect venue for The Cribs, with a capacity of just over 1000, they own the room.

Taking to the stage with now honorary Jarman Johnny Marr, the band start as they mean to go on, opening with the future classic We Were Aborted. Unlike a lot of bands at the moment, the set is not particularly heavy with tracks from their latest outing (Ignore the Ignorant), and is a fresh mix of the bands four studio albums. Fan favourites Mirror Kissers, Hey Scenesters, Our Bovine Public and Men’s Needs plunge the already sweaty room into chaos, with bodies moving on every square inch of the floor. At points Ryan Jarman becomes almost inaudible due to nearly the whole 1000 strong crowd flawlessly screaming lyrics.

Other highlights include a feedback drenched slab of modern poetry in the form of Be safe, new track Last Year’s Snow, and the poignant Another Number. I was sceptical at first whether Johnny Marr could fit into a stereotypically raucous and unpredicatable live Cribs show, but he seems to have settled right in, spending a large amount of time playing back to back with Ryan in a Beatles/Hair metal-esque manner. His playing actually adds a whole new dimension to The Cribs sound without becoming overbearing.

The Cribs continue to be a breath of fresh air in today’s era of sound-a-like generic indie. They are a band by the people, for the people, full stop.

Andy