The Cribs

You'd never have guessed that 3 brothers from Wakefield (no, us neither) would be the first band to successfully fuse The Smiths, The Supremes and Slim Moon ?They could make a great living selling those hooks they turn out every day to lesser artistes but instead choose to spend their lives in a police riot van bringing their thing to the kids and making their heroes proud. The hardest working band in Yorkshire.

The cribs played their first gig on New Year's Eve 1989. It was an intimate affair and a tough crowd but the early cribs won them over with their spirited (mimed) rendition of 'I Just Called to Say I Love You', and by the time they closed with a rousing 'We are the Champions' by Queen, the crowd was theirs. This was, after all, the Jarmans' New Year's Eve Party. Brothers Gary (bass) , Ryan (Guitar) and Ross (drums) were aged 9, 9 and 5 respectively. Six days earlier they had received the Tools of Rock for Christmas.

Those intervening fourteen years have seen the cribs' in many incarnations, including: 'Queen 2' (no explanation needed), 'Black Rats' (covering computer game theme tunes); and the ill-advised (and overly schmaltzy) Bee Gees tribute band.

Two years ago they, once more, started writing tunes together. The fact that Gary, Ryan and Ross had grown up with the same record collection helped the writing process no end. Key influences included rock 'n' roll, Motown, a lot of Kill Rock Stars stuff, the International Pop Underground, and bands like the Temptations, Sonic Youth, the Smiths, Beat Happening, and the Beatles. Another particular favourite is Bobby Conn, but more of him in a minute.

Tunes written, it was time to spread the message. And it was after a gig at the Sheffield Barfly they attracted the interest of anti-Christ and all round musical genius, the aforementioned Bobby Conn. He turned out to be a big fan of the cribs. He wanted to help. And so it came to pass that the Cribs spent a summer in Chicago looking after Conn's cats and sleeping in the family bed. Meanwhile Bobby produced and recorded some of their songs with an eye to getting them a 'cool' deal with a 'cool' label. On their return, a London show was booked...a cockney knees-up' supporting the Libertines at a sold-out secret show at the Camden Monarch. Two months later they were signed to Wichita.