Friday the 13th is usually reserved for scares but The Cribs took that opportunity to put on a blistering punk show that had the Music Hall of Williamsburg moshing and thrashing around. I guess you could call it a scary good time.
The Cribs were trying out new material from their latest album, In the Belly of the Brazen Bull, and they wasted no time by kicking off with “Chi-Town.” The song finds a nice middle ground between the punk energy of the older material while retaining some of the melody and pop structure that The Cribs pulled off in Ignore the Ignorant. There is still an edge to the music and the band feels like it has a chip on its shoulder, but the approach is a little more mature and refined.
Full and photos of The Cribs, The Hounds Below and Skaters after the jump.
There is not enough polish to think The Cribs have become a mainstream act, far from it. Their time with Johnny Marr and their decade of existence has helped hone the bands raw energy, at times, scathing wit and observational quickness into a much more focused package.
Speaking of Marr, The Cribs are back to just the brothers Jarman, but that hasn’t deterred the band or the fans. In fact, Ryan Jarman takes some pleasure of his new found responsibilities of doubling up lead and rhythm guitar sections. Jokingly, he says taking the lead makes him a “great guitar player” and he then cuts into a solo before saying “fuck it.” Later on, Gary Jarman quipped that they had gotten used to the British rock star life.
While the band tested out some of the new material, including “Come on, Be a No One,” “Anna,” “Jaded Youth” and “Back to the Bolthole,” The Cribs played plenty of older material that got fans pushing and moshing around. Some favorites included “Another Number,” “Hey Scenesters,” “Cheat on Me,” “I’m a Realist,” “Men’s Needs” and “Be Safe.”
The Cribs are not fans of encores and closed the night with “City of Bugs.” It didn’t feel like fans were cheated out of one more song as the brothers put everything into the music up until the very last note of the set. In the Belly of the Brazen Bull sounds promising and The Cribs will surely be back in America soon.
Before The Cribs hit the stage, Skaters and The Hounds Below warmed up the crowd. Skaters had that throwback Britpop feel to them, with enough American rock muscle to deliver a fun set to start the night. The Hounds Below is the new band from former The Von Bondies frontman Jason Stollsteimer. It had some great Detroit spirit with some swagger and rockabilly roots.
