The Cribs are an English indie rock band originally from Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The band consists of twins Gary and Ryan Jarman and their younger brother Ross Jarman. They were subsequently joined by ex-The Smiths and Modest Mouse guitarist Johnny Marr who was a formal member of the group from 2008 until 2011. The band, who first became active on the concert circuit in 2002, were initially tied to other like-minded UK bands of that time, most notably The Libertines, by a British music press that were looking for a 'British rearguard' to the wave of popular US alternative rock bands of the time.

On 20 November 2012 the Cribs announced details of their first 'Best Of' compilation, Payola, which was released on 11 March 2013 via Wichita Recordings to mark the group's 10th anniversary. The 22 track album saw the first official release of "Leather Jacket Love Song" - recorded at sessions in early 2010, it is the final Cribs song to feature Johnny Marr. A special 40-track 'Anthology Edition' was released with an additional 18 track disc containing B-sides and rarities. On the 29th of February, the band made their fourth appearance on the cover of NME magazine, which came with an additional CD release "Payola: The Demos". This companion disc to "Payola" featured demo versions of most of the significant songs featured on "Payola", as well as 3 unheard and unreleased tracks harking back as far as 2001.  Around the same time the band played an NME Awards show at Shepherds Bush Empire  and several other headline dates around the country. Over the summer, the Cribs played numerous festivals in the UK and Europe, including headline slots at Y Not Festival  and a show at the Olympic Park (London), as well as a short tour of Scottish venues. Autumn saw the band head back to Australia for an "Anniversary Tour", before venturing into Asia for a lengthy tour there. Cities and countries visited on this trip would include Thailand (Bangkok), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Vietnam (Saigon), two shows in Japan (Tokyo), a show at the Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre in Hong Kong, and a large outdoor show in the meadow at the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. The year was rounded out by two sold out Christmas shows at the Leeds Academy  2014 began quietly, as the band began writing sessions for their next studio album. The only shows announced would be as part of the Weezer cruise from Florida to the Bahamas in February. Later in the year, the Cribs returned to the UK for some UK festival slots, including headlining Truck Festival and Tramlines Festival amongst others, and an Italian tour with Franz Ferdinand.

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