Gig review: The Cribs at First Direct Arena, Leeds

The Cribs are a band who have a unique ability to make you feel like you are part of the group, an extension of themselves that make an audience feel they are on stage with them. As the band got bigger, many would have assumed this feeling to get lost in arena venues, however the band know their audience and know how to work a crowd, confident in their abilities as arguably the greatest British live act of the past decade.

Touring third album Men’s Needs Women’s Needs Whatever, the three Wakefield lads came back to their adopted home city of Leeds, the stomping ground where the band cut their teeth at venues such as Wire, Cockpit and Brudenell Social Club, to play their first show at Leeds First Direct Arena.

The whole album was played in its entirety, causing mayhem after only two songs in, Men’s Needs, the first single from the album, created a mosh pit in the venue worthy of an open air festival.

The band have always been a great live act, and tonight shows just how well the records are remembered and received by fans over the years.

It would seem this loyalty has paid off as the band bring onto stage Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, for him to perform his spoken monologue on fan favourite Be Safe. Flying over from America to perform this very special one-off for the last date if the tour, shows how much respect the band have from their peer group and fellow musicians they have worked with.

Newer numbers such as Different Angle and a few lesser heard B-sides made an outing, but largely the show was about not just Men’s Needs as an album, but the 10 years of fans, friendship, hard work, dedication and sticking to your beliefs.

Long may this band continue, because without them the world would be a lot sadder and quieter place indeed.