all photos: Raisa Patron

When The Cribs first played D.C. in 2005, the trio from Wakefield, England stood motionless during their opening set for The Kaiser Chiefs at the 9:30 Club. The audience did too. While the three brothers (twins Gary and Ryan Jarman and their younger brother Ross) appeared still out of shyness, the bawdy early crowd stood quietly out of amazement. Most opening bands aren’t expected to perform a set as musically tight as what The Cribs demonstrated that night, but the group known for its hard work had proved that their talent should consider them as a headlining act.

Over the next year, The Cribs would rise in the U.K. from supporting act to sensation. Although not well-known in the States, as evidenced by their half-full show last night at The Black Cat, the group would be groomed by Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos into what Q Magazine called “the biggest cult band in the U.K.”

The show opened with a forgettable performance the Jeffrey Lewis Band, which at times sounded like a 1990’s Hootieish house band and, during its spoken word pieces, like the annoying marriage of Suzanne Vega and Dr. Seuss. Syracuse-based Ra Ra Riot was more entertaining, actually engaging the crowd with its performance.

The Cribs quietly took the stage and immediately began playing without attention to the audience, as if the brothers were playing behind a two-way mirror without knowing that there was a crowd on the other side. The entire performance would largely remain that way. When the band did engage the crowd, their thick, Yorkshire accents confused their fans. Several times, the band would ask an unintelligible question to the audience and would be answered with only a long pause that would eventually be coupled with an awkward cheer.

During the set, The Cribs played almost exclusively from their new album Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever. The revisited only two songs from their 2005 effort The New Fellas, including their hipster-screed single Hey Scenesters! and only one from their 2004 self-titled debut album.

The live performance maintained the intensity of a British punk set with hard guitar chords and feverish drumming. And, if one were to simply listen to the set, it could incorrectly be assumed that their performance had sparked a riotous audience response. However, their songs about the complexities of relationships kept their audience quietly nodding rather than thrashing about. Co-lead Ryan Jarman sang solely to his microphone, almost head-butting it repeatedly throughout the set as his body bounced forward with each word. In fact, if it were not for their lyrics about love, The Cribs could musically claim themselves the current closest inheritors of 1970s British punk.

The past album artwork of The Cribs had maintained a punk asthetic, which is why the merchandise table disappointed. The main item sold was simply a flimsy, white t-shirt reading “The Cribs Rule OK.” Although the band may have brought the worst merch table to The Black Cat this year, they did staff it with the hottest merch guy they could find - helping move their otherwise immovable products.

While The Cribs seldom interacted with the crowd during their performance, the brothers engaged their fans in the downstairs Red Room bar long after the show. Also in tow was Kate Nash, the platinum-selling British singer. Nash herself quietly sat alongside the upstairs bar during the bands performance, taking photos and speaking at length with every fan who recognized her. Kate Nash, who plays the 9:30 Club on Thursday, April 17, dates The Cribs co-lead Ryan Jarman.

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