The Cribs - January 13, 2010

The opening night of 2010's Tomorrow Never Knows series, split between the newly opened Lincoln Hall and Schubas, was a strong one. The shows are intended to highlight up and coming talent, but The Cribs already have all the help they need. There is some irony in the biggest draw in a night of upcoming bands in a new club being a well-established icon.

Portland's The Dead Trees kicked the evening off with a solid half-hour set of folk-tinged rock that a times verged on a twangy take on Foo Fighters, and occasionally felt like a less psychedelic Vietnam. Call them what you want, the set was unfortunately short and has us salivating for their Chicago return. Thankfully, the band returned to the stage to serve as Adam Green's backing band; stealing the spotlight from the clown prince of punk-lounge. Green's set began as the kind of tiresome, obnoxiousness that would normally send you packing for the bar. The wild, attention-starved dancing and deep crooner vocals smacked of Tom Green and Jim Morrison's drunken child attempting to play a lounge singer. In the midst of the fifties-inspired rock backing, it was awkward and annoying. Then, somewhere around the middle of "Nat King Cole", Stockholm Syndrome set in and his on-stage antics started to seem amusing. The former Moldy Peaches member is the rock equivalent of a b-movie, in all the right ways. How can you not sit back and enjoy his, ode to Ms. Simpson, "Jessica", or his attempts to sing and crowd surf simultaneously? Despite wanting to leave when it started, Green ended up convincing us that his set is not to be missed for the sheer insanity of it all.

The Cribs hit the stage right around eleven for their hour and fifteen minute set, jumping into the new Marr-led soundscape quickly with the spangly riffs of "We Were Aborted". Johnny Marr's classic wide-legged power stance served as a glorious reminder of where he comes from, while fitting right in with the band on stage. Any trepidation as to what may happen with the older material was set at ease on "I'm A Realist", where Marr laid back and colored in the spaces of an already great song. Fan favorite, "Men's Needs" got a bit more of a touch-up, with the wildly flailing guitar of Marr adding a new dimension. The brothers Jarman were no more upstaged by Marr live than they are on Ignore The Ignorant, holding their own in the presence of greatness. The band's more mature sound is even more apparent live, with the dazzling "We Share The Same Skies" delivering well-deserved chills. Old anthems like "Our Bovine Public" fit in well with new shout-a-longs like "Hari Kari", where snarled vocals played well against the slamming beat and desperate riffs. Spoken word rocker, "Be Safe" used the venue's video screen to display the video of Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo delivering the spoken portion as the band jammed over it for one of the highlights of the set.

If the tour is coming through your town, you would be insane not to jump on the chance to see the band in its current form. Regardless of how long Marr is with the band, it is clear The Cribs are better for the experience. They were already a damn good band, but are now a great one.

Set List
We Were Aborted
Hey Scenesters!
I'm A Realist
Emasculate Me
Last Year's Snow
Cheat On Me
We Share The Same Skies
Direction
Hari Kari
Save your Secrets
Our Bovine Public
Another Number
Ignore The Ignorant
Be Safe
Mirror Kissers
Men's Needs
City Of Bugs

Upcoming Shows - Week ending January 17th

There is plenty to check out this week, with 2010's installment of Tomorrow Never Knows blowing through Schubas and Lincon Hall this week. Honestly, there may not be a better concertgoing deal until the Lollapalooza pre-sale than Tomorrow Never Knows' uber-cheap $75 pass for the five-day event. Here are the two shows from the series that we like best.

Wednesday, January 13th - Lincoln Hall - The Dead Trees, Adam Green, The Cribs - 9 pm - $15

Having caught The Cribs at Lollapalooza, when they were supporting Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever, we know are already a sure-bet to kick your ass live. With the addition of Johnny Marr to the band, there is no telling how much better they will sound - but the leap in quality from a good band to a great one is apparent on their most recent album, Ignore The Ignorant. This is easily the best show of the Tomorrow Never Knows set, and it is a crime that there are still tickets available. Take advantage!

Saturday, January 16th - Lincoln Hall - Julie Dorion, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Bowerbirds - 10pm - $15

Having somehow missed out on the previous times Canada's The Rural Alberta Advantage have made it through the Windy City, it seems like the perfect time to give the band a chance live. Their debut, Hometowns, was one of our favorite debuts of 2009; with a quaint folk-pop sound that feels like it could have been recorded in your living room. Despite some softer moments, like lovely love song "The Air", the ramshackle production is carefully disguising just how hard jittery tunes like "The Dethbridge In Lethbridge" rock. From the sounds of it, they are a great fit to open for Bowerbirds, but we are here to sing the praises of The RAA. Best yet, the album hit Canada in 2008, so you have to guess they have written some new tracks to show off.

The Cribs Kick Off Tour In Chicago Next Week

UK indie rockers, The Cribs are set to hit our shores for a brief tour starting with an appearance at next week's annual Tomorrow Never Knows series in Chicago. Already a fantastic band, the former trio made news last year for adding a guitarist to the mix. That is not normally a big deal, but when the axe-man in question is ex-Smiths' legend Johnny Marr, you tend to take note. Hot on the heels of the newly released, Marr-fuelled, Ignore The Ignorant, the band is set to unleash their brilliance here at the following dates, through January:

January
13 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall !
14 Ferndale, MI - The Magic Bag !
15 Toronta, ONT - Phoenix Theatre !
16 New York, NY - Irving Plaza !
17 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club !
19 Washington, DC - 9.30 Club !
20 Atlanta, GA - The Earl !
22 Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre !
23 Austin, TX - The Parish !
26 Pomona, CA - The Glass House *
27 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo 365 *
29 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom *
30 Seattle, WA - Showbox Theatre *
31 Vancouver, BC - The Venue *

! with Adam Green & The Dead Trees
* with Jemima Pearl

Be sure to catch them while they're here, and head on over to Filter (here) to register to win a Fender Classic Player Jaguar Special Guitar - the same kind Marr plays.