The Cribs: The Ritz, Manchester: 5.2.09
The Ritz, as a live music venue, has the sort of sleazy appeal that suits bands like The Thermals and The Cribs, a certain slovenly opulence. It deserves better than the vodka-fuelled student-nights that inhabit it on a weekly basis.
As the crowds slope in, The Ritz seems at ease. The audience isn’t the fraught combination of scenesters and West Yorkshire louts who had previously stalked The Cribs, but rather, slack jeaned students, topshoppers and the middle-aged musos. So this is the price of success? Well, yes it is, this is the mainstream.
Could they have sold out the Apollo? Maybe not, so why take the risk. The Ritz is bursting by the time The Thermals inauspiciously wander on stage.
They’re in full-blown support mode, which is somewhat of a contradiction – being that full-blown support mode essentially means nothing is full blown. They blast into 3rd gear in the space of 'Pillars of Salt' and stay there.
Hutch gurns and shrieks his way through a busy set, while Kathy stands taut, head bobbing, palpably enjoying some songs more than others. Though Westin Glass, the new drummer blasts his way through every song, giving everything, which is plenty. A nice addition.
Not until 'No Culture Icons' do Hutch, Kathy and Westin give it some in tandem, and it’s amazing. Both The Thermals fans present and I go fucking mental. But as soon as they give it us, they’re gone, leaving me to google “The Thermals headlining”.
The Cribs (and Johnny Marr) take to the stage, and a Ritz crowd despite it’s disproportion amount of 30-somethings and juvenile couples, going absolutely fucking bonkers.
Not until the fourth song does the old adage appears.
“Hello we’re The Cribs from Wakefield…oh and Manchester,”
“And Portland,” adds Gary
“Oh aye yeah and Portland.”
Diluted? I hear you ask. Erm…not really, Marr proves a welcome addition, contributing some really well placed melodic moments, while managing to not look entirely like daddy Jarman (but he is a bit old (he was in The Smiths, have some respect (no, fuck off)))
It hits me though that The Cribs aren’t up to their normal onstage antics - they seem restrained. We’re eight songs in and Ryan hasn’t even bust his lip yet and we soon find out why. The Cribs are recording a live album.
The crowd, who were fading, suddenly perk-up, not realizing it’s to the detriment of the performance.
From then on it seems hard to engage, and most of the crowd seemingly don’t.
Ryan sums it up the gig before 'The Wrong Way To Be'.
“This is the last song, no encore. That’s your lot Manchester.”
Yeah…cheers lads.
2/5
Words: Oliver Jones
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Reply #1 on : Sun July 03, 2011, 19:49:39