Live: The Cribs Live at Juice Bar in Parnell

There’s bound to be a certain discomfort for both band and audience when a gig’s venue is changed, and significantly downsized. For the Cribs, this involved a move from the Powerstation to Juice Bar, and a cancellation of their Christchurch show. Whether it was for lack of ticket sales, one can only guess, but judging by the number of giveaways on 95bFM, this guess seems fairly accurate.

And they’re not necessarily a bad band, but rather the victims of bad timing. Their intimate MySpace Secret Show in Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios was great by all accounts (view the photos here) but New Zealand’s romance with North England post-punk is dwindling in the face of a 90′s grunge renaissance, as Pavement and the Pixies grace our presence.

The general makeup of the crowd appeared to be die-hard fans of the cult-following kind, bouncing up the front, backed by the wealthy-and-interested, surrounded by a medley of dedicated Johnny Marr aficionados. Bandicoot opened, but I only arrived in time for Collapsing Cities’ sincerely earsplitting dance rock, which got everyone moving.

The Cribs did perform a great show, with a passionate high-energy stage presence and catchy singles like We Were Aborted, yet their sound is derivatively Britpop. It has no clear distinction beyond standard “yob rock,” as a friend suggested. It’s in such songs as We Were Aborted where Marr’s characteristic guitar sound is really present, and it is his valuable addition to the band that should be developed further.

One Cribs fan (fervent from their first album) who I talked to, gave it an 8/10. I’d give it a 5. Great music for those who are into it, but nothing outstanding to make it memorable. Especially when the following day is a bbq with The Bats and Superette.