The Cribs at The Academy | Review

The Cribs at the Academy, Dublin. 8^th November 2012.

It was a little disappointing to hear that The Cribs’ gig was moved from the opulent surroundings of The Olympia to its smaller, less pretty sister venue, The Academy. There were some murmurs from the crowd that many people were put off by the fact that Johnny Marr was no longer part of the band. And the big question was; How much did Marr contribute to The Cribs being an astounding live band when they previously visited Ireland? And how would The Cribs fare without him?

Support was provided by Dublin band September Girls; a retro looking 5-piece all-girl noise pop band. They heralded a twangy, ‘60s vibe akin to Californian band, Dum Dum Girls, with vocals washed out by reverb. It was a great set-up for the headline act.

The Cribs were greeted by a joyous roar from the crowd as they took to the stage. They launched straight into Come on be a no-one; a song which typifies the band’s general outlook and approach to rock and roll. It was a fantastic surge to begin with, however the crowd didn’t seem to immediately get into the garage rock swing of things. Which led singer Ryan Jarman to address the crowd asking “Are you all old school Cribs fans?”

The atmosphere picked up for, Our Bovine Public, which the band delivered in its grittiest form. The screeching feedback of microphones would have been a turn off in any other circumstance, but it seemed to work well with the dressed down image of the band, the devil-may-care attitude they expelled and the inspiring, anti-conformist lyrics. The band continued to thrash through their songs, feeding off the affectionate crowd, conversationally interacting with them. They reminisced about their first performance in Ireland in what they called “a wine bar”, The Hub, formerly in Temple Bar.

Midway through the set they delivered an astounding performance of Back to the Bolthole; a growling and fervently anguished song that navigates personal issues in Ryan Jarman’s life. This was followed by a technically imperfect but none the less entertaining little ditty on his scratched fender, much to the amusement of the gig goers, before segueing into I’m a Realist, one of the highlights of the night. The crowd exploded with joy and sang every word adoringly back to the Wakefield band. In return they offered the cleanest performance of the set, with vocal harmonising as close to perfect as an anti-establishment band should be. They sang it like the anthem it is; as though they, the leaders, were preaching the path to individuality to the audience, their loyal followers. If the show had ended then it would have been an outstanding show, but they continued to deliver more tunes in the most admirably careless fashion.

An excellent combination of Hey Scenesters! and Men’s Needs made for a fitting lead into the home stretch of the gig, the latter in particular given a zealous performance. You could tell that the lyrics still held a sincerity for them and they thoroughly enjoyed playing it. It dragged even the most sullen spectator off their seat in the darkest corners of The Academy to dance to the incredibly catchy song. After a brief thank you from the band the gig concluded on a high note with an aggressively delivered version of City of Bugs. The show ended with a scene you don’t see often enough at rock gigs these days. The stage being thrashed. Instruments were flung around as brothers Ryan and Gary engaged in physical horseplay falling to the ground, much to the delight of each other and the crowd.

So, did Marr make The Cribs the astounding live band they had been on previous visits? The answer appears to be no. While he was an invaluable addition to the band, they were not lacking any presence, skill or credibility without him. The band, which stands for all things opposite to hipster and conformity, gave a powerful performance and connected with the crowd, not through witty banter or uncalled-for stage diving, but through their music and “we don’t want to be like everyone else” mantra. The venue change turned out to be a blessing as their garage punk vibe was suited to the grungy surroundings of The Academy. They are arguably one of the last true rock bands with their no-frills performance; the crowd saw raw talent, pure passion and out-and-out rock.