The Cribs bring chaos to Glastonbury’s Other Stage

“I can’t resist doing this,” says Ryan Jarman midway through The Cribs’ Other Stage set. A quick pause, and he launches into an “eh-oh” chant for a solid thirty seconds, gradually getting more ridiculous as it goes on. He’s in an unpredictable mood, launching himself off the stage for a quick round of high fives, and chucking his guitar like he’s representing Team GB in the Olympics Shot Put.

Technical nonsense defines part of their set. “Our tools are not quite in shape,” says Ross Jarman. But it’s not the kind of broken amp crisis to pick up on, let alone hamper a heroic Glastonbury welcome. This is one of the biggest festival shows of their career, and it’s led by ‘Our Bovine Public’ and ‘Men’s Needs’ - two songs that get embraced by thousands year-on-year. Cuts from new album ‘For All My Sisters’ weasel their way in too, but when it comes to chaotic, barmy but pop-nodding celebrations, these are the go-to sources.

It might not be the most fault-free, effortless set in their lifetime, but it’s the kind of bedlam that Ryan Jarman’s eager to embrace. The guitar doesn’t quite smash into pieces, but it might as well - The Cribs are magnets for all-out raucousness, and it’s this that’s led them to gigantic festival slots such as these.