When The Cribs first appeared in the halcyon days of early '00s indie, flanked by the likes of The Paddingtons and Little Man Tate, there was little in the way suggest they (and their contemporaries) were anything more than a buzz band. To paraphrase guitarist/vocalist Ryan Jarman, ten years on and 2005 is long gone, and whilst many bands from that era haven't so much burnt out as faded away, The Cribs; their fans; their legacy are still burning as bright ever. Don't believe me? Go and see them live.

 

Tonight marks the final night of the band's first UK tour in two years, and sees them descending on one of Manchester's better known sweatboxes, The Ritz. Fortunately we arrive in time to take a place on the venue's balcony; a decision that proves wise when the crowd, stoic as they were for the supports, erupts in to a sweat-soaked furore, as Mirror Kisses kicksoff a career-spanning set.

 

Consistency is key to a band's success, and that's something the Brothers' Jarman realised long ago. Little has changed in the band's genetic make-up over the course of the last decade, and their fans wouldn't have it any other way. Tracks taken from the forthcoming For All My Sisters mix perfectly with established material, and prompt almost as big a crowd reaction. Burning For No One, for example, with its couldn't-be-anyone-else chorus smacks of classic Cribs, it's as if it's been in the set for years.

 

It's the fan-favourites which really threaten to tear the roof off the venue though. I'm A Realist' sees the pocket mosh-pits merge together, almost to the sound-desk, whilst the angular riffs and shout-a-long hook of Hey Scenesters is deafening. There's little in the way of banter from the band tonight, Jarman instead preferring to careen through an almost 20 strong set list. One stand out moment come as he berates the Brit Awards however. "We're up for biggest sell out and biggest load of pointless shit, but as long as I win sexiest male I'll be happy...".

 

It's this kind of light-hearted patter that has endeared The Cribs to their fans so fervently, they've stuck to their roots and retained a level of approachability, long lost where another, slightly more famous, Yorkshire-based band are concerned. Such is their groundedness, that going to see them live is seeing your mate's band play a house show. It's loud, sweaty, messy, but most importantly, it's all the better for it.