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The Cribs, Albert Hall, Manchester

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Photo: Katie Clare

When The Cribs last played Manchester back in February, the show was as raucous and as sweaty affair as one might imagine; the ground floor of The Ritz becoming a heaving throng, sweat dripping and limbs flailing. What else you may have noticed if you were at that show, is how the then-new tracks, 'An Ivory Hand' or 'Pink Snow' for instance, despite fitting in with established tracks sonically, brought about a lull in the proceedings thanks to the crowd's unfamiliarity with the material.

Six months have passed since then however, and the material from From All My Sisters now sits snugly in The Cribs' canon, as if it had been there from the start. As a result of this, tonight's set is back-boned by material taken from their most recent cut, and, as if to prove to the band that their new material is just as loved as their old, an early rendition of 'Different Angle' receives the largest mosh-pit of the night so far.

Whilst last time the only set back came from the crowd's unfamiliarity with the tracks, tonight's comes early on in the form of questionable sound levels. Both throughout opener 'Ancient History' and following track 'I'm A Realist' singer/guitarist Ryan Jarman is plagued with guitar troubles; individual notes are barely discernible, though as is the case with the latter, the crowd participation more than fills in the gaps.

By fifth track 'Finally Free' any issues have been well and truly ironed out, and the energy exuded from the band is wholly transferred to the crowd, the writhing mass of fans beneath us a sight much like that from February; sweat-soaked and beer-fueled bodies throwing themselves stage-wards, in adoration.

Though the Albert Hall might not be the most intimate of venues the city has to offer (such intimacy is forgone in favour of its exquisite acoustics), The Cribs somehow manage to make the lofty venue feel more like one the Northern Quarter's spit 'n' sawdust pubs; even from the balcony the charm and charisma of the band is evident, and is what we can only assume is the secret to their longevity and lasting appeal.

With a veritable arsenal of tracks in their catalogue, obvious fan favourites are bound to get neglected, and tonight personal favourite 'Another Number' is notably missing from the set. With such an array at their disposal however, songs that were once reserved for an encore now take their place mid-set, and the final trio of tracks takes the shape of 'Mirror Kisses', 'Men's Needs' and new(ish) track 'Pink Snow'.

It's a bold move ending on a recent number, and the fact the response it receives is more subdued than the more established tracks it accompanies is understandable, given the rapturous response brought about by the aforementioned 'Mirror Kisses' and 'Men's Needs' respectively.

"Manchester has always treated us as one of its own," bassist Gary states "Tonight might be the best show we've ever played here." Far from being an aficionado of the band I've only managed to see them a handful of times and can't attest to any of those particularly early shows. There's an element of truth in what Gary says though, and while many of the band's contemporaries have fallen by the wayside, The Cribs torch continues to burn just as bright, if not brighter, than ever. 

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