‘24-7 Rock Star S**t’ is the latest release from The Cribs and sonically it is their rawest offering to date. With Steve Albini on production duties, it’s no surprise really. Tonight’s album launch show is at Belgrave Music Hall. The everlasting beauty of The Cribs’ live shows is that they basically sound like the records on the steroids, and tonight is no exception to this rule. ‘Year of Hate’ kicks things off, and there’s no time for the audience to warm up – straight to ten on the intensity scale tonight.
The record is a ten-track collection of sonically intense earworms – the first track released, ‘Rainbow Ridge’ sets the tone with its In Utero quiet/loud influence bursting through the speakers. ‘In Your Palace’ further proves the band’s ability for undeniably catchy melodies that are rough around the edges, while closer ‘Broken Arrow’ draws similarities to For All My Sisters’ final track with its watery guitars interspersed with brutal rhythm sections. It is a fine offering, with Steve Albini’s input helping to further separate The Cribs from the run-of-the-mill noughties indie guitar scene and showing that the band have by no means peaked sonically or in terms of songwriting quality.
The brutality of the new record is the centre of attention tonight – guitarist Ryan Jarman takes some time to talk about the importance of bands listening to their fans, since recording with Albini had been an oft-suggested move for the band. That being said, we’re treated to a healthy dose of the rest of the band’s catalogue; ‘Different Angle’, ‘Our Bovine Public’ and ‘Hey Scenesters!’ being among them. This really is all killer no filler tonight, with the band easing up only for the moody ‘Dead at the Wheel’. ‘Men’s Needs’ arguably wins indie floor-bounce of the night, while ‘Pink Snow’ serves as the perfect seven-minute set closer with its schizophrenic quiet/loud formula.
To see a band releasing these kinds of records and playing these kind of shows in this day and age is truly inspiring. It’s a kind of passion you can fully get behind, even more so because it totally combats the staleness that is currently clogging up the mainstream charts.
Browse the photo gallery from the Leeds Album Launch show below:
The Cribs’ new album ’24-7 Rock Star S**t’ is out now – stream/purchase the record here.
Live photos provided by Tom Saunders
For all the latest updates on The Cribs, head to the Website.
