The Cribs - Heaven, London - Tuesday 10th February 2009

The Cribs have just finished writing a new album, with new member Johnny Marr this time, so this was one of a handful of dates designed to road test their new material. Now that the Astoria has been closed down (if not yet knocked down), shows like this are having to find themselves new venues. A few seem to be landing at Heaven, a gay club under the arches of Charing Cross station. It isn't the best venue for a gig, as the arches mean that the venue itself is a bit of a maze, and only a bit of it is the actual gig "floor". But, being in a railway arch did help this to be one of the loudest gigs I've been to for quite a while.

Whilst waiting for the band to come on stage, there was an extraordinarily long bar queue to navigate. Like Koko (which I have moaned about before), Heaven charge £3.60 for a can of beer, whereupon the bar staff throw it into a plastic pint glass as quickly as possible, then pour the inevitable froth down the sink. They seem to be quite surprised when you complain about this! I really wish venues would stop ripping their customers off so blatantly - it is a shame, because it kind of impairs your enjoyment of going to see the band, through no fault of theirs.

Anyway, that was only a minor downer on a couple of hours of extreme fun. The Cribs played a fairly long and absolutely electric set, with Johnny Marr on stage with them throughout. The sound was clear, good, and VERY loud, and about half a dozen new songs were sprinkled in amongst a "greatest hits" set. The highlights came thick and fast throughout the set, and the band seemed to be really on form, with everything falling into place for a great show. This show was one of those that really mark The Cribs out as one of the best live bands in the world. There were digs at other bands (notably The View tonight), great songs, and an awesome amount of energy in their performance.

It seemed like I was not the only one who didn't really like the staff at Heaven - Ryan Jarman wasn't a fan of the security guards either. When they hauled a stage invader away, he demanded that they bring him back, and let him stay on stage. The NME Review talks about this at great length, as well as listing what the band played. So, the fan spent the rest of the gig on stage. During the "encore", an incredible version of The Wrong Way To Be, a second fan also managed to win his battle with security, and ended up wearing the bass guitar around his neck. Then, Ryan Jarman dived into the crowd, and the music stopped, leaving a scene of chaos in the venue. The very definition of "rock and roll" - a fantastic gig all round.