The Cribs live in London: Indie royalty offer up a glorious celebration in epic surroundings
On a sweltering evening in London, The Cribs prove right at home in the picturesque setting of Somerset House
By Nick Reilly
The last time The Cribs played Somerset House, Gary Jarman notes on a glorious July evening in London, was when they supported Bloc Party in this picturesque setting in 2005. “Now we’re headlining and we’ve spent 21 years trying to come back,” he drolly quips.
But what an intervening 21 years it’s been. In those intervening decades, The Cribs have fostered a well-earned reputation as one of Britain’s most beloved cult bands. Tonight proves to be a pitch-perfect celebration of that.
After kicking off with ‘Dark Luck’ from their excellent new album Selling a Vibe, it’s straight back to bangers territory with ‘I’m a Realist’, immediately igniting a sense of chaos which seems brilliantly at odds with the grand confines, and famous former home of the Inland Revenue, in which they find themselves playing.
The sense of occasion isn’t lost on the band either, with a touching sense of earnestness on display throughout. “Wakefield rock bands playing these surroundings is a real trip,” remarks Gary’s brother and co-frontman Ryan at one point.
It helps that they’re on the form of their lives too, especially after a rough ten years which saw them tangled up in a legal dispute with their former label which threatened the band’s very existence.
Now, it’s high time for a full celebration. Drummer Ross spends half of the gig standing aloft his drum riser, while Ross and Ryan’s duelling guitars still sound as fresh as ever. The crowd match their energy every inch. At one point, the “oooh-wooo”s of 2004’s ‘Another Number’ are howled back at the band. “If the kids who wrote that song in 2002 saw this now, they’d be psyched, man,” reflects Ryan.
It gives the admirable feeling that this sense of occasion is not lost on the Wakefield trio. Instead of going through the motions after over 20 years, they sound more energised and fresher than ever. By the time that they begin to wrap up with the seminal anthems of ‘Men’s Needs’ and ‘Be Safe’ and crowdsurfing fans are pulled over the barrier, it’s turned into one of the year’s very best shows. They even refuse to fall foul of a strict 10.30pm curfew and admirably plough on through their backline alone, playing ‘Pink Snow’ as a shower of that very stuff douses a crowd who refused to leave. Here, quite rightly, is a show that no-one wants to leave until the very end.