The Cribs

The Cribs
Peter Nish

Having seen The Cribs live a few times before I knew what to expect of the incestuous Wakefield trio, renowned for their intense sets normally delivered for to relieve a pack of desperate fans. But things have changed slightly since I saw them last, with a commercially successful record produced by Alex Kapranos and the recruitment of guitar legend Johnny Marr as a fourth member. Would it still be The Cribs experience?
The gig was held in the basement of the Newcastle Union, with the compact venue being squeezed to the front by the sell out crowd. The band opened with We Were Aborted from the new album, Ignore the Ignorant, but it was classic Hey Scenesters! that sweated the crowd into motion. The loyal mob were true to form creating a little chaos at the frontline that was sustained throughout the gig.
The band now have an extensive range of material to pick from with the release of the fourth album, with songs being cleverly selected for the current set. There was strong reception to much of the earlier material played, with Direction of the first album being a particular highlight. The more recent essentials of Men’s Needs and I’m a Realist being definite crowd pleasers.
The new material, which still has to fully grow on me, was integrated well with the band not feeling the need to bombard their agenda. The presence of Johnny Marr onstage was an exciting prospect, but in reality he fitted with the band, although there were a few Johnny chants addressing his status. The band finished with a new song A City of Bugs that demonstrated the potential of the new album to be a mini-classic.
The gig definitely reiterated the fact that The Cribs live experience is one of the best about, and that it would require a few more superstars before it would change them.