The Cribs Live Review from Somerset House by Ryan Beardsley
The Cribs from Wakefield, I must confess, I believe I may have seen live more than any other band, which means I’ve probably seen more of them than members of my immediate family. Though I must confess, the last time was a year back in a mid-afternoon support slot, and as much as it pains me to say as a long-time fan and fellow Yorkshireman, I was underwhelmed.
Tonight they’re playing as part of the Summer Series at the lavish Somerset House, and after The Lightning Seeds tore it up yesterday they’ve got a hard act to follow, but by the time the venue had to shut down the speakers in the middle of the finale due to curfew, they’d certainly left their mark.
To start with, the lads look fantastic; old Father Time has clearly had no effect on the brothers Jarman, and as Gary and Ryan head out in trademark skinny jeans and leather jackets, I’m transported to the mid 2000s indie sleaze era in an instant, and I’m raring to go. But that’s kind of the problem; opening with an album track from a new record is a bold move on a big outdoor London stage, and it’s not the barnstorming kick off people were hoping for.
That’s swiftly forgotten via I’m A Realist, Our Bovine Public (one of the all-time top 10 best track one/side ones) and Another Number, and all is well again. The sound is great, the band is giving it 100% as always, and everyone’s happy, very happy in the case of Ryan J, who is struggling to articulate an anecdote or two after likely indulging in the free bar.
However, things slow down in the middle of the show after a blast of new songs from Selling A Vibe, coupled with a handful of deep tracks from 2007 classic Men’s Needs, results in twenty minutes or so where things go a little limp. Maybe I’m being harsh? My good friend and fellow TE scribe Rob pointed out that if you’re seeing a new album tour and half of the tracks are the classics, then you can’t gripe, and it’s a fair point.
It just occurred to me afterwards that they’ve got 9 (9??) LPs now; we’re talking 100+ songs, and in a 20+ song set in a venue like this, I think you can give the people a little bit more of what they came for, especially on a Monday night.
Anyway, things return to trademark Cribs style in the home straight; Men’s Needs has the pint glasses flying and still hits hard some twenty years later with its confrontational spirit as RJ spits out the lyrics with welcome contempt before a triumphant Mirror Kisses shows they’re still a fantastic live act when all guns are blazing, and going 100mph.
The anthemic Be Safe is always welcome and pumped out with sheer gusto before the speakers are shut down halfway through set closer Pink Snow due to curfew. In what is something of a metaphor for the band, one of the true survivors from that sweetest of eras, they won’t be stopped; they can’t be denied, and they play on until they’re ready to call it a night on their own terms.
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