The Cribs Online

12.17 pm  What's the perfect start to the day of a Cribs gig? That's right, being told you have a throat infection! Absolutely fabulous.

8.05 pm Manage to get one in at Grand Central (where some of the local crew are also imbibing) before heading for the Ritz. Never been here before but it looks like your typical old style venue with a big stage area and grotty little alcoves where rumness no doubt ensues.  Especially during the club night called 'SEX', I'll wager.

8.30 pm The Thermals are going down well with everyone, they're all youth and spiky guitars, Generation Z college rock I suppose. I like them anyway but my head's banging from the raging infection and there's a power struggle happening on  the barrier in front of me so I'm having to dodge some passive aggressive elbow-shoving. Also, a couple on my left spend about half an hour taking each others pictures, cute but having a flash go off directly into my retinas every four seconds is not helping the old headache situation.

9.12 pm Seems to be a lot of newbies here, you can overhear comments like "Why are they playing 'Take My Breath Away?'" and "They're not going to go on too long are they?" ! Not a bad thing, just different. Being pretty much sober and ill I feel a bit detached from the whole thing, like I'm watching it on youtube with a mate sporadically pushes me and spills beer down my jeans.

9.14 pm Shippo has had a costume change between bands. A costume change! What'sthe world coming to?

9.17pm Must not sing along to Buffalo Stance.

9.20pm On come the band to the strains of "These Boots Are Made For Walking" and launch into a new song called 'We Were Aborted'. The sprung dance floor makes me feel like I'm on a trampoline - a great addition to my general wellbeing.

I'm A Realist, Hey Scenesters

Ryan - We're the Cribs from Wakefield....and Manchester

Gary - And Portland!

No Gary, you're not from Portland, you live in Portland. You're from Wakefield like your brother says. Show off. :P

Our Bovine Public, We Share The Same Skies, DYWBR

Ryan announces they're recording this for a live album. Oooooh. Explains the tour, I guess, but I wonder if Ryan knows he got the words to OBP wrong?

Victims of Mass Production, Girls Like Mystery, I've Tried Everything, Cheat On Me

By the way, Wichita Recordings are twittering furiously throughout the gig and they say 'remember Cheat On Me', so maybe we're looking at that being the next single.

Women's Needs, Hari Kiri, Moving Pictures, Another Number, Mirror Kissers,

There's a funny segue into Men's Needs but I can't figure out whether it's a fragment of a new song or what...

Be Safe is epic, the video screens are out and everything.

Ryan mentions that Johnny's first ever gig was at the Ritz but Wichita Recordings twitter 'Johnny's first gig wasn't here - Shirley.'  Ryan thanks everyone for throwing clothes on stage for him, he's picked up a tshirt and shirt tonight free of charge. Cheaper than Oxfam!

They end on Wrong Way To Be warning us there's no encore. And there isn't, but I feel about ready to drop dead so I'm slightly relieved. Off to have a sleepy double vodka in Grand Central, excited about the new album, the live album, and everything else on the way.