The Cribs @ Crown & Anchor, Adelaide 4/5/2018
The Cribs rule! Holy smokes, what a show and even two days later my ear drums are still paying for it. It would of have been easy to miss this tour if you didn’t have finely tuned antennae with a finger on the pulse when it comes to bands coming to town and especially The Cribs playing a relatively small venue compared to where they would be playing in their native England. Q Magazine described The Cribs as “the biggest cult band in the UK” so to see this awesome band up close in an intimate venue would put us in an enviable position no doubt The Crown & Anchor was packed as word had obviously got out about how good their 2013 show was at Adelaide Uni Bar… good times!
The Cribs consist of brothers Gary, Ross and Ryan Jarman and a touring guitarist who all collectively make a hell of a racket! This tour continues the celebration of their seventh album of the impossible to track down album 24-7-Rockstar Shit which features some choice cuts. Their gig starts at a blistering pace with Our Bovine Public and then Come On, Be A No-One. The temperature in the room started to rise as all these hot and sweaty bodies start jumping up and down feverously.
I’m A Realist was awesome and whilst the chit chat between songs was kept to a minimum Gary Jarman said it was great to be back in Adelaide for the first time in five years. ‘Old school Cribs fans’ to new fans their set list had it all. Rainbow Ridge from the new album was a ripper and Different Angle from the album For All My Sisters was an absolute ball tearer. Burning For No One for me was a highlight and it doesn’t matter what show you go to there is always some tosser in the crowd who thinks it’s about them and feels this unnecessary to get up on stage to interact with the band. Whilst Gary appreciated the sentiment of this tosser bringing up a beer, he clearly didn’t want it.
It is surprising given how many killer songs The Cribs have in the armoury that they don’t have a bigger following in Australia. Singles such as In Your Palace, Hey Scenesters and Men’s Needs are winners everyday in my book. I was really super impressed hearing the cover of Baltimora’s Tarzan Boy which used feature prominently in the adverting for Cool Mint Listerine if you want to add that to your book of useless facts and trivia. Like all good things, the show had to end and Pink Snow was the song to do it. A great show and here’s hoping The Cribs return to Adelaide real soon.
Live Review by Rob Lyon