Eight years is a long time between Australian tours, but The Cribs are finally back in Sydney. Tonight the Factory Theatre belongs to Gary, Ryan and Ross Jarman, three brothers from Wakefield who have spent more than two decades making indie rock that has always sounded better with the edges left rough.
The night starts closer to home. Hawkesbury singer-songwriter Jean Elliot brings indie-folk and alt-country into the room.
Newcastle trio Trophy Wyfe won triple j’s Unearthed High competition this year, and are still at the beginning of their story, but there is already plenty of confidence in the way Rex Wardle, Tallis Kessell and Neve Scully occupy the stage.
Then come The Cribs. There is something reassuringly uncomplicated about watching the three Jarman brothers together. Gary and Ryan flank Ross behind the kit and immediately fall back into the scrappy chemistry that has carried the band since they formed in Wakefield in 2001.
The Cribs emerged from the great rush of British guitar bands in the early 2000s but never quite belonged to any particular scene, and that has probably helped them outlive most of them. Even a period with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr in the band never fundamentally altered what makes The Cribs tick: three brothers, loud guitars, sharp hooks and an instinct for making imperfection work in their favour.
Tonight isn’t simply a victory lap through the old material either. The band arrive behind ninth album Selling A Vibe, a record made after a difficult stretch that saw the brothers separated between New York, Portland and Wakefield and unable to properly tour 2020’s Night Network.
Selling A Vibe pushes their sound forward without sanding away what people came for. The newer material sits comfortably alongside songs from across their catalogue, while the Factory crowd responds with the familiarity of people who have waited a very long time to have this band back in Australia.
Images Deb Pelser
The tour moves to Brisbane and Perth next, tickets HERE.
