The Cribs

Since the early 2000s the Cribs have ranked among the U.K.’s most devoted cult acts, fusing quintessential British touchstones such as the Sex Pistols and the Smiths with American indie reference points like Beat Happening. Formed by the Jarman brothers, the group’s melodic songcraft, unvarnished production and guitar-driven attack set them apart when their self-titled debut surfaced in 2004, yet their genuine approach and relentless live schedule quickly drew critical praise and chart traction via 2007’s Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever. Ignore the Ignorant in 2009 launched a run of top-ten U.K. albums that pushed the band’s sound toward both its most buoyant and its most abrasive extremes, with high-profile producers including Ric Ocasek on 2015’s For All My Sisters and Steve Albini on 2017’s 24-7 Rockstar Shit. By the arrival of their self-produced 2020 set Night Network the Cribs exercised greater command over their recordings than ever, while the independent ethos and unpolished textures of acts such as IDLES and Yard Act underscored their ongoing influence.

Vocalist-guitarist Ryan Jarman, bassist-vocalist Gary Jarman and drummer Ross Jarman grew up in Yorkshire, England, and began performing together as children. Their first appearance came at a late-1980s family gathering when twins Gary and Ryan were nine and Ross was five. The brothers officially launched the Cribs in 2001, sharing stages with Subway Sect, Bobby Conn and Calvin Johnston. A demo attracted major-label attention in 2002, yet the band still issued a split single with Jen Schande on the independent Squirrel Records in 2003 before entering a deal with Wichita Records. Ahead of the debut album the label released “Another Number” as a limited-edition 7-inch in late 2003. Largely tracked by engineer Ed Deegan at London’s Toe Rag Studios, The Cribs reached stores in March 2004 and earned acclaim for its combination of catchy writing and raw sonics; both “You Were Always the One” and “What About Me” reached the top ten of the U.K. Independent Singles Chart.

After touring in support of the debut alongside Conn, the Datsuns and the Libertines, the Cribs began work on a follow-up while maintaining occasional one-off performances. They recorded June 2005’s The New Fellas with Orange Juice’s Edwyn Collins at his West Heath Studios, preserving the lo-fi aesthetic of their first release. The album yielded three top-40 U.K. singles—“Hey Scenesters!,” “Mirror Kissers” and “Martell”—and earned Silver certification from the BPI. Another charting single arrived in 2005 with “You’re Gonna Lose Us,” produced by Bernard Butler. Extensive worldwide touring followed, capped by the Japan-only rarities collection Arigato Cockers issued before their Fuji Rock festival appearance.

Building on the success of The New Fellas, the Cribs signed to Warner Bros. Records while retaining their Wichita affiliation in the U.K. For the next album they enlisted Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, whom they had met while touring the U.S. with his band and Death Cab for Cutie. Mixed by Andy Wallace and featuring a guest appearance from Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo, Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever arrived in May 2007. A deluxe edition appended the documentary Leave Too Neat, documenting the run of shows preceding the album’s release. The band’s most refined outing to that point, it entered the U.K. Albums Chart at number 13 (later certified Gold by the BPI in 2018). Lead single “Men’s Needs” peaked at number 17 on the U.K. Singles Chart, and follow-up 2007 singles “Moving Pictures” and “Don’t You Wanna Be Relevant?” both reached the top 40. In addition to a Coachella debut, the year’s live schedule included three Brixton Academy dates supporting the Sex Pistols marking the 30th anniversary of Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols; three further shows were preserved in the concert film Live at the Brudenell Social Club.

Early in 2008 the Cribs received NME Award nominations for Best British Band, Best Live Band and Best Track, while Ryan Jarman earned a Hero of the Year nod. The band headlined the NME Awards Tour and appeared at the ceremony with newly recruited guitarist Johnny Marr, whom they had encountered in Portland, Oregon, and enlisted as a touring member. Although an EP had originally been planned, the creative rapport prompted a full album. Recorded with producer Nick Launay at Seedy Underbelly Studios in Los Angeles, September 2009’s Ignore the Ignorant debuted at number eight on the U.K. Albums Chart, marking the band’s first top-ten entry. After an extensive world tour encompassing festival appearances and support dates with Franz Ferdinand and Aerosmith, the Cribs issued a split single with the Thermals for 2010 Record Store Day and released the single “Housewife” in August.

Marr departed in April 2011 to focus on solo work, prompting the Cribs to begin their next album. That same year they played their first Brazilian shows and contributed a cover of the Dishrags’ “Death in the Family” to the Mint Records compilation Busy Doing Nothing!. Released in May 2012, In the Belly of the Brazen Bull was tracked in New York, Chicago and London with production from David Fridmann and Steve Albini; like its predecessor it reached the U.K. top ten. The lengthy supporting tour spanned global dates and festivals, including a Belfast performance alongside Foo Fighters. Late in 2012 the band received the Spirit of Independence award at the Q Awards. March 2013 brought the career-spanning best-of collection Payola, documenting the first decade and featuring the final Marr collaboration; a deluxe edition added further B-sides and rarities.

After extensive roadwork throughout 2013 the Cribs commenced work on their sixth album in 2014. Produced by Ric Ocasek, March 2015’s For All My Sisters introduced new-wave luster drawn from the Cars frontman. Issued on the band’s own Sonic Blew imprint (Arts & Crafts handled North America), it became their third consecutive top-ten U.K. debut. A highlight of the accompanying world tour was a Pop Montreal festival set at which Ranaldo reprised his spoken-word contribution to the Men’s Needs track “Be Safe” for only the second time since the album’s release.

Once the For All My Sisters tour ended in 2016, the Cribs rejoined Albini that November to develop material originally tracked during the Brazen Bull sessions. What began as an EP expanded into the raw August 2017 full-length 24-7 Rockstar Shit, echoing the group’s earliest recordings. The album entered the U.K. Albums Chart at number eight, securing the band’s fourth straight top-ten placement. Also in 2017 they marked the tenth anniversary of Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever with a U.K. tour and received a dedicated exhibit at the Wakefield Museum.

Following 24-7 Rockstar Shit the Cribs severed ties with management after discovering that rights to their early catalog were held by external parties. The ensuing legal effort to reclaim ownership lasted more than eighteen months, yet Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl permitted the band to record at his Los Angeles studio in 2019. In 2020 the Cribs joined two of Tim Burgess’ social-media listening parties discussing the making of Men’s Needs and The New Fellas. November brought Night Network, an exuberant and cathartic collection that constituted the Cribs’ first self-produced effort. In 2021 they issued a run of limited-edition Sonic Blew singles compiling previously unreleased Night Network outtakes and home recordings made during COVID-19 lockdown. The following year the band released deluxe reissues of their debut, The New Fellas and Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever, each augmented with demos, rarities and previously unheard material.