"Johnny Marr Makes a Great Cup of Tea": Q&A With The Cribs Ahead of Their May 13 Gig

They're Brits, they're brothers, and they play rock and roll, but that's just about where the comparison to a certain other set of famous UK rock star brothers begins and ends. Instead, this is the Jarman boys – Ryan, Ross, and Gary – from the beloved UK indie act The Cribs. The band already have quite a following in China, which is why, despite their Yugong Yishan gig falling on May 13, you'll need to buy your tickets soon in order to get a chance to catch them live.

Having first played China at Split Works' Concrete and Grass Festival in 2016, the band a gearing up to come to the capital and tell us more about their wiser, more reasonable approach to rock stardom, as well as dishing about their collab with legendary Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, and having a museum dedicated to their band.

24-7 Rock Star Shit is a great title for an album. Tell us about coming up with it and how it suits/encapsulates the songs and songwriting within. 
Ryan Jarman: I came up with the title in the studio whilst we were recording In the Belly of the Brazen Bull. It came from a conversation me and Gary were having at the back of the studio about a friend who had joined a band and I said he’s gonna be dealing with "24/7 rock star shit." We all thought it was a great slogan as it was meant as a pejorative, like dealing with egos or whatever, and then we put it on the back of a T-shirt. When we started floating the idea of making this album with Steve Albini, it was just always going to be the title. It seems to fit it really well.

How did it feel to be the subject of an exhibit at Wakefield Museum, and what were your fondest memories of being part of that exhibit?
Ross Jarman: Growing up in Wakefield, we always felt a bit like outsiders as we didn’t really seem to fit in with the people we were surrounded by. There also wasn’t much of a music scene. In more recent years this has changed, and there are more local bands coming through, and even a music festival. The fact that they now gave us an exhibition that was visited by people across the world felt like we have in some way been given some recognition for all the changes that have taken place.

Gary Jarman: We have a plaque in the center of the city now – we are literally a part of the city.

What’s the best thing about working with Johnny Marr? Also, how did your partnership with Marr come about, and how did it feel to gel with him and successfully collaborate together?
Gary Jarman: Johnny was someone that went from being an influence to becoming a band member. There are not many people that can say they had that happen to their band. It came about really easily. We met through mutual friends and whilst talking about music, bands culture and so on we realized that we had a lot of shared experiences and influences as each other, and we got on really well and bonded very quickly. So we just decided it would be fun to work together! We only made one record together [2009's Ignore the Ignorant], but we are proud of what we did.

Ryan Jarman: I personally enjoyed the challenge of working with another guitar player, having been the sole guitarist for so many years, and especially working with someone who’s guitar playing I’d always enjoyed. I suspected that me and Johnny would be a good combination guitar-wise but I was surprised at how well we worked together actually, especially with us both being lead players. It was very intuitive. It was interesting writing with another person outside the family too.

Ross Jarman: One of the best things about working with Johnny was having another band member. We always said we wanted to be a three piece, but obviously made an exception for Johnny. He also would always have positive energy around him, which was great for creativity. Plus he made a great cup of tea!

I’ve read about how you guys got your start playing social clubs, squats, and house parties in Leeds with fellow artists like Calvin Johnston, Subway Sect, Herman Dune, and Ballboy. How would you describe that scene, and what kind of impact did it have on your band in its formative stage?
Ryan Jarman: When we first started there wasn’t much of a scene in Wakefield at all. And in Leeds which was the nearest city, it was all pay to play bullshit and very corporate seeming. We weren’t into that, but we discovered this scene based out of the Brudenell [Social Club] that was much more suited to our tastes. It had a very DIY ethos but they brought in loads of bands we were into and we got on really well with everyone involved. We started playing on those bills and used our studio to record some of the Leeds based bands for Squirrel Records, which was a punk label associated with that scene who put out our first 7-inch. Then in Wakefield we started putting on shows at our studio, so really the way we were operating was very much outside the ‘mainstream’.

Gary Jarman: Those days were the best. We were pretty isolated up in the north, and so we would just put on our own shows, wherever we could play basically. And through that, we met a lot of likeminded people – bands, promoters, and so on, who we would then do gig shares with and stuff like that. The community spirit was something we had always been looking for, and it was amazing to be part of this DIY, underground community of bands we really loved.

Tell me about the advantages and disadvantages of being in a band with your brothers. Also, how do you avoid squabbling like the Gallaghers?
Ryan Jarman:  It’s easy for us because we all grew up together and were into the same stuff, so it made us very united. Plus we were never into Britpop!

Ross Jarman: Advantages are that any highs the band has are all shared by the three of us, which is great as three brothers. Disadvantages are that again, any low points are shared by the three of us together.

We generally get on really well as three brothers, as we know how not to anger each other. We are intelligent enough to read each other’s body language when something is wrong, unlike some bands. However, there can sometimes be a buildup of frustration with one another, which can lead to big fireworks.

Gary Jarman: No egos! That's the key.

The Cribs will perform at Yugong Yishan on May 13 with The Twenties on support. Tickets are RMB 180 presale, RMB 220 on the door.

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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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Images: readdork.com, fasterlouder.junkee.com, Split Works