The Cribs hail from Wakefield, England in the county of Yorkshire. The band consists of brothers Ryan, Gary, Ross Jarman and more recently Johnny Marr. They are well known for their out of hand and over the top performances. They’ve had their shows shut down by the police as the melee devolved into chaos and became a threat to public safety. The instances of audience injury are a common occurrence at their riotous performances.
With their fanatical following of over-energized and anarchic teens the live shows can approach those dangerous levels of rapturous delight that may lead to the shedding of blood or the unfortunate fainting spell of a 16 year old girl. But don’t misunderstand the circumstances, this is positive energy, and although someone might get hurt in the process the crowd is always there to lend its collective helping hand.
It is this energy and refreshing approach to music and live performance that make The Cribs a delight to see and hear. They enthusiastically approach the role of rock star with a full running start. It is the fans that inspire them and that drives them to do what they do. Bassist and singer Gary Jarman describes the spirit of their shows, “We like to keep the spontaneity and you don’t know what is going to happen. We like to keep things interesting for the crowd and ourselves. If everything is accounted for then there is not any fun in it any more. That’s why I like shows that have the potential of falling apart because I find that exciting.”
The band’s antics continue off stage like the time at an awards ceremony where Ryan Jarman accepted an award and proceeded to jump into the Kaiser Chefs table. Ryan ended up with deep cuts on his arms and back from the broken glass shards. This reckless abandonment is carried over into their music. Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever was an energetic punk romp rife with edgy, spastic guitar and swaggering vocals. Fellow indie rocker Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand fame produced it. Gary relates the decision to work with him, “He’s a friend of ours. He’s a good guy and we have a lot in common with him. We move in similar circles and we knew we could trust him that he wouldn’t try to push us around because he knew what kind of band we are.”
The brothers are able to continue untainted by the industry because of their honest and unflappable approach to music. “It was never about being this big success and being rich and famous has never been on the agenda. If someone was telling me what to do or interfering I would be bummed out and I wouldn’t want to be in a band anymore no matter how well we were doing.”
They remain steadfastly focused on the fans and enjoying playing small venues to maintain the real connection, “We like that kind of interaction with people. We like to get back to what we were doing in the first place. That’s the reason we started the band. We always try to give back. We have a connection with the kids and that’s why we do this.” This humility keeps them grounded, “I just feel lucky. I never considered myself a rock star. I just feel lucky being able to be creative each day and that is what I am grateful for.”
The Cribs are playing the Parkway Stage on Sunday at 2 PM.
Thanks for the tips Sara!
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