The Cribs at the Roundhouse

It was busy around the Roundhouse on a rainy Friday night in London as the crowds with American Pale Ales and ciders in their hands waited for legendary cult indie-rock band The Cribs to mark their return – which they did with new hits from Night Network, melded with the best of their 2000s classics. The twins, Ryan and Gary Jarman, were thrilled to be back onstage to entertain their live music-deprived fan base (the London concert having been postponed for over two years due to the pandemic). 

Their return after disappearing from the industry for far too many years after 24-7 Rock Star Shit was a breath of fresh air, and much overdue as rock bands slowly vanish from the narrowing spectrum of independent music. There was a sense of old-school reminiscing in the arena, with fans (who were young teenagers trashing their bedrooms in to Another Number the 00s) having grown up with Gary and Ryan’s cult classics and followed them since. 

As the second half of the 90-minute set commenced with acoustic classic Shoot the Poets, the temperature began to rise inside, human towers formed and phones exited pockets. On the first notes of Hey Scenesters!, cups of beer flew across the arena and the crowd began surfing. The twins’ guitar solos fuelled the energy and made fans forget about the steep £6 they’d paid for their pints.

Bringing back the memories kept the crowd entertained until the very end, with the band expressing their appreciation for the London fans and screaming, “Thank you, London, we will see you very soon!”. Despite not doing an encore, closing with Man’s Needs and Pink Snow proved that nothing beats live music and that – even after 20 years – The Cribs do not fail to deliver the set that every ticket holder deserves!

Csilla Tornallyay
Photos: Guifré de Peray

For further information and future events visit The Cribs’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Running into You here: