Live Review: The Cribs at Music Hall of Williamsburg [03.21.08]

The Music Hall of Williamsburg was packed on Thursday night. People came from all over to see The Cribs show – lots of fans from the UK, judging by the accents, and even up-and-coming artist Kate Nash was dancing in the audience to show her support. For those of you losers who don’t know who The Cribs are yet: they are the Jarman brothers from Yorkshire – twins Ryan (vox) and Gary (bass), and brother Ross (beats). Certainly considered part of the UK Invasion (that never seems to stop), they’ve been playing and recording music since the early ‘00s and have been on the Loose Record lists since their first US tour back in ’04. The Cribs have several releases out, including three full-length albums, The Cribs (Wichita, 2005), The New Fellas (Wichita, 2005), and the latest, Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever (V2, 2007). They play infectious and energetic indie pop music along the lines of the early Strokes or Futureheads.



So the crowd at Thursday’s concert was a bit on the young side, but that turned out to be a great asset to the show because the kids put a lot of energy into it - crowdsurfing and dancing their hearts out. As always, The Cribs put on a phenomenal and energetic display, especially considering they had been in Austin at SXSW the weekend before. The boys were as hipsterly adorable as ever, with Ryan dressed in tight gray pants and a uniquely shaped gray-and-white striped v-neck top; Gary in a short-sleeved print t-shirt and matching pants; and the requisite indie rocker Vans.

The band started off by launching into “Don’t You Wanna Be Relevant?” and the crowd showed its support by launching people into the air in the first act of stage-diving I have seen occur during a band’s first song. The mayhem continued with “Our Bovine Public,” with its bouncy rhythms, pop guitar melodies, and the band’s trademark singalong lyrics. As the crowdsurfers were discouraged from actually jumping off the stage the boys in the band just kept playing, obviously enjoying themselves as much as anyone in the audience.



Following the crowd-pleasing openers, The Cribs settled into a more easygoing energy level with “Girls Like Mystery” and “Moving Pictures” (one of my personal favorite songs), and the gentle melody of “I’ve Tried Everything.” For the most part the songs were familiar favorites from their newest album, but they got a couple of songs in there from their earlier albums, too. Following the mellower songs in the middle, The Cribs played “Women’s/Men’s Needs,” and the high-energy hit “Mirror Kissers,” filled with the band’s trademark “Wo-oh!”s and getting everyone dancing and singing along again.



At the end of the night, The Cribs finished their set with the bittersweet “Ancient History,” during which Ryan actually jumped off the stage for some surfing of his own and had to be tethered back from the crowd by a slightly terrified stagehand who grabbed onto his sneakers. (This same stagehand was seen earlier running around the stage trying not to get hit in the head as the boys swung their guitars and mic stands around.) In any case, it was a very high-energy set that was eventually closed out with a beautiful rendition of “Be Safe,” with poetry read by a friend of the band’s.



In the end, The Cribs are one of my favorite bands to see live. They always put on an explosive performance that elicits just as much energy from the audience, which is a refreshing change from the shows where people just stand and stare. If given the opportunity, you should definitely check them out - the Cribs can be seen in a city near you sometime soon!

[Photos by Max Flatow]