There was a real sense of vibrant energy and feverish atmosphere in the air in Brighton as The
Cribs made their way to the stage with a real sense of missing the good old times in the amassed throng. Despite the band gigging for over 15 years and recipients of a host of top 10 chart albums under their belt, it has been a long time coming, as it’s been over 4 years since the Cribs last appeared in the city.
In the newly refurbished (and bigger) Chalk Venue, first to the stager are Doncaster’s The Blinders, who whip the crowd up in a frenzy with full-on strobe lighting and they seem more polished this
time than last seen on a weekend outing at 2Q Festival in Lincoln.
The Blinders play tracks across both albums on a short set but take the more melodic offerings of ‘The Fantasies stay at Home Psychopath’ album. They have come a long way since their beginning and turned out to be the perfect complement on the Cribs tour.
Ossetts, The Cribs, asa twins Gary and Ryan Jarman and younger brother Ross Jarman have been treading the boards for a number of years, once counting Johnny Marr as a past member, and its easy to see why Q magazine has described them as the biggest cult band in the UK with tonight’s
guitar riff-laden performance, alongside pints flying across the stage and bodies being propped
towards the stage in the mosh pit in the middle of the venue.
The set featured tracks from across their career including ‘I’m Alright Me’ and ‘I Am A Realist’, as well as a healthy dose taken from their ‘Night Network’ album. Banter is high with Jarman praising the crowd for being “the best bunch of the tour with a nice weekend away at the seaside” before pleasing the fans with the late offering’s of ‘Mirrors Kisses’ and ‘Men’s Needs’. The set did end abruptly with a loud cheer from the beer-drenched fans down front wanting more as, unusually for a gig, there was no encore! Just hope it will not be too long this time for The Cribs to return to Brighton.
