Live Review: The Cribs & Sures

Local youngsters Sures were an apt support for the main act, as their songs punctuated dreamy pop melodies with punchy guitar and catchy hooks. 

Wakefield's finest, The Cribs bounded on stage to God Gave Rock 'n' Roll To You and ripped into a barnstorming set. Johnny Marr may no longer be in the band, but what they've lost in guitar virtuosity they have regained in stage dynamic. As an official four-piece with three mics lined up neatly along the front the group had – by their own standards – a little less edge about them as a live act. Here, with supplementary guitarist David Jones (from Nine Black Alps) unobtrusive at the side of stage, they were back to their raw, chaotic best. Ryan stomped around, carrying his mic stand with him and plonking it down wherever he stopped, regardless of whether that meant he was facing away from the crowd. He got himself endlessly tangled in cables and at one point tried to pull the whole of the crowd onto the stage with him. Ross bashed the skins while standing on his drum stool, Gary played bass while balancing on the bass drum.

And what tunes they delivered. Every one a pop singalong wrapped in garage indie that had the crowd going crazy, from first-album gems like Another Number to newies like Chi-Town via the raucous mayhem of Hey Scenesters. The frantic nature of the set was summed up by its closer, City of Bugs, which climaxed with a Nirvana-esque set trashing while Ryan did some topless crowd-surfing.

If this cracking night at Oxford Art Factory proved anything, it is that there are surely few live acts with such effervescence and energy as The Cribs. Two days into 2013, we might already have seen one of the year's best gigs.