The Cribs

UK outfit The Cribs, originally just 3 brothers — Ryan, Gary & Ross Jarman — recruited a new member for their latest album and for their 2010 Australia and New Zealand tour, Johnny Marr, the former guitarist and songwriter for The Smiths. The band met Marr in 2006 after he heard The Cribs single ‘Hey Scenesters’ on his car radio and was captivated immediately. When Ryan Jarman suggested to Marr that they record an EP together it quickly turned into much more, as Marr became permanent member of The Cribs.

For Marr, joining the group wasn’t a hard decision to make: “They’ve got the brains of the Buzzcocks, the guts of Nirvana, the fizz of the Ramones. I know how to be in a really good group and that’s what this is. Despite who I am and my history, what really counts is the way it sounds when we write songs together and when we’re in front of an audience. I surprise myself that I’m back in a band, but I haven’t had to second guess it, because it feels like they’re the right band for me.”

The three-piece formed back in 2002 when twin brothers Gary and Ryan, having dropped out of music college, founded Spring Time Studios in their home town. They kitted it out with cheap gear and started playing, putting on gigs and throwing parties to make ends meet all the while the fledgling Cribs were playing squats and basements — drawing heavily on influences from the UK punk and riot grrrl scenes, not only in their sound but in their DIY ethic. The influence is unsurprising as the boys had spent their early teens listening to the Ramones, Nirvana, Sonic Youth, The Pastels and Comet Gain.

“A pivotal moment was buying the Ramones’ It’s Alive. We were still at school and it cost 15 pounds. Me and Ry saved our our dinner money for the week and bought it at the weekend. It’s such a good record, going without a week’s dinner was totally justified.”

Keeping this punk fervour as their career developed along with it the boys established a stunning pop sensibility that has allowed them to grapple often difficult topics while infiltrating the collective conscious with a catchy riff.

Gary: “I enjoy writing pop songs, pop is still one of the best and most expressive types of music, you can really tug on the old heart strings, and not to compare ourselves to this, but look at Motown, they were pure pop songs but they were way more powerful than any punk song or any rock song.”

The Cribs have just released their fourth album, Ignore The Ignorant, the follow up to their striking 2007 album Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever which smashed together the catchy sounds of brit pop with the heart of indie rock and the passion of UK punk in standout tracks like ‘Men’s Needs’.

The first slice from their latest album Cheat On Me is already turning heads as The Cribs continue to build on their sound. The injection of the legendary Johnny Marr into the group has had an immediate effect. The new album is stronger, darker and yet still ever present are those outstanding pop hooks that have built a legion of Cribs fans.

“The biggest cult band in the UK” — Q magazine

“Swaggering, full-throttle, full-throated genius” — musicOMH.com

“Johnny Marr’s guitar adds gravitas to the adrenalised indie.” — The Guardian