The Brudenell Cribsmas gigs are the thing of legend, people who didn’t go, still claim to have attended. It has gained a cult status much like the band.
Having been a fan for the duration of the band, I have seen my fair share of their shows, and it pains me to say that Wednesday’s mid-week run seemed a little by numbers. Whether it be a burn out from the residencies in Manchester and London was unclear, but The Cribs seemed to lack some of their spark on the evening.
Well rested or reignited, Thursday saw a better crowd and a significantly better performance by the band. Bursting onto stage after support from the two outstanding support acts Esper Scout and Pins, the band admitted they needed a bit of competition to bring them out fighting.
Tracks new and old were mined from their 15 year body of work, mixed seamlessly with lesser aired album cuts and B-sides such as Jaded Youth and On A Hotel Wall.
The Jarmans were interacting with and feeding off the crowd, offering fan requests and acoustic sing-a-longs with It Was Only Love and Shoot The Poets.
To see the band enjoying themselves and performing so energetically and enthusiastically was enough to send the crowd into a mosh pit frenzy.
So it is that another Cribsmas rings in the ears into the new year. Good, that’s what I say.