This past weekend AUX caught up with Gary and Ross Jarman from The Cribs ahead of their show at the Phoenix Concert Theatre. The Cribs are currently on tour with their latest album, Ignore the Ignorant and had time to speak with us about the new record, the addition of Johnny Marr and bad coffee in Toronto.

“We went to a diner and I had a fly in my coffee,” singer/bassist Gary said, recalling a few hours before arriving at the venue. “I was trying to be really discreet…she immediately just stared being really loud.”

Making noise and getting attention is something The Cribs have been good at over the years. Having this album under Warner  and being called “The biggest cult band in the UK” by Q magazine, the band still prefer the do it yourself attitude. “We pretty much still have our independence because it’s only in America that we’re on a different label,” Gary said. The band is happy to still be with Wichita Recordings in the UK, the label they released their self-title debut on.

Photos by: Jamilah Romero

“The key stipulation when a bunch of majors wanted to sign us was that we wanted to stay on Wichita,” Gary said. “We want to sell records for labels we care about. We’ve always been proud for every record we sold through Wichita because we care about the label.”  Along with the new label in North America, The Cribs also experienced a boost for this album with the addition of guitar player and songwriter Johnny Marr, “It was just such a gradual thing. We became friends and just started playing together,” Gary said. “Time went by and we wrote loads of songs. After the first time we played, we realized it was working because we wrote a bunch of songs together pretty quickly.”

“Fundamentally it’s just the Cribs, but you get some really distinctive guitar playing,” Ross added.  With Marr on board and with most members living in different parts of the world, making Ignore the Ignorant was a little different from their previous. However what they still hold dear is the support of their fans. “We used to just get together and jam and write songs. Now we all come with little ideas. We try not to finish them without everyone having their input,” Gary said.  “That’s what always means the most to us, just playing for people who care about you no matter what level that’s on.”