On a bitterly cold evening this week, three adorably named Brit/Brit-inspired bands took to a San Francisco stage for a few hours of hitting drums, gettin' naked, and sharing feelings. Rock and roll!
Portland trio the Hugs started the emoting off right with an earnest set heavy on hooks and light on inspiration (“This song is about shoe-swapping,” “This song is about girls”). I don’t hold them responsible in this respect – they’re just out of high school and look about 12. Besides, in the indie rock business, as a crowd member screamed, “we like ‘em young.” Musically, the Hugs are raging Anglophiles and its no surprise that a U.K. label is signing them before they’ve been picked up here. Second act Sha Na Na delivered a similarly safe performance, though things looked up when the lead singer stripped off his shirt.
Enter the Cribs, by far the hardest-working band in the building. Fresh off Glastonbury and an appearance on Conan, the three bros from Wakefield (seen in photo) took to the stage like the burgeoning indie rock stars they are. First and foremost: these guys looks like they are trying really, really hard. The Cribs shouted loudly, banged gamely on their guitars, performed drum acrobatics and turned instantly red and sweaty from the effort. This immediately endeared them to me, though for all their exertion, the energy never really transferred to the crowd. A gentleman from the U.K. who “works in the hydroponics industry” was of the opinion that the group won’t go much further. Part of me wants the Cribs to prove him wrong.
