The Cribs, Adam Green @ Lincoln Engine Shed

The Cribs make a triumphant return to Lincoln, courtesy of a star-studded line-up featuring Manchester guitar legend Johnny Marr, and ex-Moldy Peaches frontman Adam Green, writes Ryan Butcher.



First off, Adam Green, who warms up the crowd with his unusual troubadour styling’s. Green has recently received a resurgence in popularity thanks largely to the success of cult-film Juno, and his old band’s affiliation with the soundtrack.

But those expecting twee, acoustic anti-folk duets are left a little surprised, as Green commands the stage with an implosive snarl, channelling the energy of a 1972-Lou Reed. Closing track Baby’s Gonna Die Tonight is a stomping, verbose blues number, completely eradicating the memory of Anyone Else But You from the minds of a bewildered, awestruck crowd.

So then, onto headline act. Since their transition into a four-piece, The Cribs hold themselves with much more authority – and rightly so.

Over the last eight years The Cribs have done a flawless job of engineering themselves from Lo-Fi obscurity into the indie mainstream. Superstar girlfriends, high profile collaborations and raucous live shows have helped transform Wakefield’s little-band-that-could into a credible, and more importantly, believable rock and roll machine.

The Lincoln crowd eat out of the palm of their collective hands as they shred through a set spanning their entire back catalogue.

Hey Scenesters and Mirror Kissers have evolved into archetypical indie anthems, which get the crowd going albeit sounding, dare I say, a little stale.

However, newer tracks like We Were Aborted and Cheat On Me have a much more mature sound, whilst still encapsulating the riotous 1970s punk rock fuzz which made their debut such a stand-out affair.

Thankfully, the recruitment of new member, and ex-Smiths guitarist, Johnny Marr proves to be a sound investment rather than a cheap gimmick to sell a few extra tickets.

His contribution to the line-up is to add an extra, much-needed layer of rhythmic depth which goes a long way to support the hoarse unpredictability of the brothers Jarman.

Over the last few years, The Cribs have shown a steady progression in both popularity and ability. Their Lincoln show goes further to demonstrate the imminent domination that they’ve always hinted at.