The Cribs - Part 2
There is no way you could accuse The Cribs of being generic or disposable having made it to album three (in itself, quite an achievement for a modern day indie band). It’s getting harder for truly indie acts to survive while major label groups masquerading as indies are getting the big sales. Some might say the high sales are a sign of good health, but Ryan thinks otherwise.
“When people say ‘the UK music scene is really healthy’ it’s just because a lot of records are being sold, but it’s a load of shit bands selling a load of shit records - that’s not really healthy. There are a few good bands out there but we’re also inundated with a load of corporate shit. There’s a new band every week doing exactly what the band were doing the week before, except with maybe more dumbed down lyrics.”
What’s being said in the music and outside of it matters a hell of a lot to The Cribs. It’d be easy to mistake them as just another snotty punk band with nothing to say, but spend a little time with their lyrics though and you’ll find they’re clever, sharp and biting. They place a high value on what people say, and understandably have a pretty low opinion of groups that come across as vacuous.
“No one’s really saying anything. I read a recent interview with a band that said their new album was about ‘fighting and fucking’. Come on, have we not grown up yet? What’s the point? Who really wants to buy that? A lot of bands have become very laddish - music tailored to Loaded and FHM readers. What the fuck is that about? Punk rock bands should be kicking against those people. At the end of the day they’re the same people that would shout shit at you in the street.”
You can’t help feeling those bands aren’t really lads deep down, but they see the image and imitate it - ‘chav chic’ if you will. These days it’s hip to pretend you’re from a different background, or to affect a different accent. It’ll help strike a chord with that market, boost your sales and cred. It’s so hip, so now, so trendy, and with any luck pretty soon it will be ‘so last year’.
“This whole laddish culture seems to have lasted quite a while. It’s about time it was eradicated. With our record we’ve purposely tried to set ourselves apart from that kind of band. I would never want people to think we’re anything to do with that. It would be really disappointing. We want to completely separate ourselves from it. It’s glorifying something that should never be glorified.”
There is a theory that says you know what something is by knowing what it is not. By pointing out what The Cribs are not, Ryan indirectly tells us what they actually are. In stating their dislike of corporate nature you can tell they’re fiercely independent. By deriding the generic you can see they feel individual. From their distaste of bands who don’t say anything at all, it’s clear The Cribs actually do have a message to get across. Their outspoken manner reveals what the band are about, and when pushed to define the band directly Ryan gives a simple summation.
“We are completely and totally a punk band. If anyone asks what we sound like I say punk rock, that’s it. I wouldn’t say anything else. It’s the style of music we’ve always been into, and everything we do is staunchly independent. People tend to portray punk as a dumbass style of music, but it’s certainly not - it’s a lot smarter than that. A lot of the modern-day bands that could have punk attached to their name are proud to come across as dumb, and that’s not cool. It’s never been cool. People revel in stupidity, which I find utterly bizarre. We’ve always had something to kick against and we’re always trying to rattle people’s cages, in a positive way. We only try to rattle peoples cages because they need rattling.”
This is why The Cribs are so vital. Unlike anyone else they’re willing to shake things up and go against the grain. They have an honesty of character that spills over into their music as well as an element of danger and unpredictability. They have a mission and a purpose, and Ryan is keen for people to understand this as much as their music.
I Heart AU | Design by goodonpaper.org | AU is supported by Lottery funding
