(My Weekly magazine, 27 August 2005)
Saturday 27 August 2005
Leeds trio flops at the Fringe
(Morning Star, Saturday 27 August 2005)
LIVE: The Cribs, Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh
THE problem with going to any show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is that expectations are always high.
Even though an inordinate percentage of shows will see you sitting in a hall with two other people watching a Jimmy Carr wannabe, cringing through his set of bad jokes and wondering if you'll inadvertently become part of the act if you stand up to leave, there are times when the talent is so rich and vibrant that it doesn't matter if there are four other people or 404 - the good time is had by all.
The Cribs are a trio from Leeds with a nice line in hype and a disappointing quantity of tunes.
The main point of their current live shows is obviously to flog copies of their recently released debut album, The New Fellas.
After all, you don't know a band's mettle until you've seen them live and there are plenty of punters with hard-earned cash burning a hole in their pockets, eager to have something to cling to.
All of this is a rather unwieldy preamble to the disappointment of the Cribs' live show.
If the idea of a successful Fringe is quality, the Cribs don't stand a chance.
They're sloppy, tuneless and their childlike enthusiasm only makes it worse - like they think that they're really getting it. They're not.
There may be people in the crowd who will invest in The Cribs' recorded material off the back of this show, but, really, they should know better.
LIVE: The Cribs, Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh
THE problem with going to any show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is that expectations are always high.
Even though an inordinate percentage of shows will see you sitting in a hall with two other people watching a Jimmy Carr wannabe, cringing through his set of bad jokes and wondering if you'll inadvertently become part of the act if you stand up to leave, there are times when the talent is so rich and vibrant that it doesn't matter if there are four other people or 404 - the good time is had by all.
The Cribs are a trio from Leeds with a nice line in hype and a disappointing quantity of tunes.
The main point of their current live shows is obviously to flog copies of their recently released debut album, The New Fellas.
After all, you don't know a band's mettle until you've seen them live and there are plenty of punters with hard-earned cash burning a hole in their pockets, eager to have something to cling to.
All of this is a rather unwieldy preamble to the disappointment of the Cribs' live show.
If the idea of a successful Fringe is quality, the Cribs don't stand a chance.
They're sloppy, tuneless and their childlike enthusiasm only makes it worse - like they think that they're really getting it. They're not.
There may be people in the crowd who will invest in The Cribs' recorded material off the back of this show, but, really, they should know better.
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