The Cribs

The Shockwaves NME Awards Tour has always been a good guide to what is happening in the world of indie-rock and this year's tour was no exception - with four must-see acts all vying to be a cut above the rest.

On a personal level, the night began well, with the bouncer asking me my age - though, worryingly I did temporarily forget it! It became very clear when I entered the venue why there was heightened questioning. The place was packed with scores of young kids, some with parents, and many swamped by oversized Cribs t-shirts.

It made me wonder whether reading the NME had suddenly become part of the National Curriculum.

It also became very clear to my eardrums that the presence of an enormous lorry outside the venue does indeed equal very large speakers inside!

Ear issues aside, timings meant I only caught the last couple of songs from Salford duo The Ting Tings. Their repetitive, urban-indie melodies were catchy, up beat and fresh. Predictably they played That's Not My Name as their set closer.

They left to DJ down the road at the Brickworks.

Next up were sound-rebels Does It Offend You, Yeah? The atmosphere changed totally with the use of copious amounts of smoke, neon light effects and a wall of sound. The night became a less open and more thought provoking one with the crowd captivated by the musical mass of smudged lights, music and gimmicky sound.

The band are a blast of fresh air, offering something new and vibrant.

Joe Lean and The Jing Jang Jong were next. Nice boys who are suited, booted and suave, they made themselves at home on the stage and flung out song after song. Their formula is not unique but they were good enough to make you forget that it has all been done before.

Headlining were The Cribs, who brought on the onslaught.

With Ryan Jarman's straight bowl haircut morphing in the heat, the brothers bashed out hit after hit, including Hey Scenesters! and Martell showing why they earned their NME Award nominations.

An ocean of crowd surfers, mainly young sweaty boys, outsmarted the well-meaning two surfs and you are out rule' by rubbing off the pen marks on their hands, thus producing a steady stream for the bouncers to manage. This is of course a main ingredient to a successful Cribs gig!

Feigning overheating, Ryan took off his white t-shirt, recounting that the scars on his otherwise very smooth chest were from a night in Oxford.

After a few more songs - and possibly not content with his original Oxford injuries - Ryan bolted and impressively belly flopped into the crowd, causing yet more excitement for security.

With everyone back where they should be, and the air conditioning now on, who should enter stage-left but Johnny Marr - The Smiths legend seamlessly infiltrating the band of brothers to punch out some healthy classics including anthem Panic.

Marr's energetic fingers ran effortlessly over the guitar strings to create a history book moment for this still relatively new venue. And we all left the Academy knowing we had witnessed something quite special on this cold Sunday night.

7:20pm Thursday 21st February 2008

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