Saturday, 25 February 2006 07:53

Their parents met when their father saw their mother playing piano in a band. However, a musical family they are not, as he is quick to point out: “It’s definitely not like The Sound of Music in this house.”

 

 

When you think brothers in a band, your thoughts naturally turn to Oasis’ Noel and Liam Gallagher, who seem to be constantly beating the piss out of one another. The Cribs share an affinity for music, but not so much the fist-flinging pyrotechnics. “We do argue every now and again,” admits Ryan Jarman, who, with brothers Gary and Ross, makes up the band. “But it only lasts a few minutes; it’s really kind of healthy.”

Last year saw the release of the Cribs’ second album, The New Fellas, from which “Hey Scenesters” sprang forth. The songs epitomize a common British feature: snark. Think Squeeze at its earliest incarnation, or the Housemartins with the perpetual cheeriness that disguised serious distaste for the unthinking masses. The Cribs come from a working-class world, tough and fraught with strife. When they warn, “Don’t let us down,” it’s not a plea; it’s a threat.

Ryan describes their hometown of Wakefield as one “where people don’t really like musicians that much. It is more of a sportin’ kind of town.” Their parents met when their father saw their mother playing piano in a band. However, a musical family they are not, as he is quick to point out: “It’s definitely not like The Sound of Music in this house.”

To Ryan, it seemed obvious that the three brothers would be in a band together. “We are all of the same mind about this. We are into the same kind of music and we all want the same kind of things from being in a band,” he says. “Besides, I don’t really trust people outside the family being in a band.”

At present, the Cribs are working on a follow-up to Fellas. “Writing stuff is easy for us,” says Ryan. “The last album came along really quickly. We don’t fuck about as much as other bands do.” 2006 also offers more touring for a band that has toured relentlessly over the last three years. “In [England], the only way we have done well is by gigging all the time. I kind of want to do the same thing in America. The best way to see a band and get introduced to a band is to see them live.”

For the uninitiated, SXSW marks your chance; don’t miss it.