We had the honor of playing with The Slits when they supported us at Doncaster Dome, a night which has left an indelible mark on The Cribs for various reasons. I cried like a baby at the end of The Slits set, partly out of disillusionment with some facets of our audience that night, but mostly because I was so moved and humbled by how The Slits carried themselves - their strength and integrity, as well as dignity was just extraordinary and I felt really shaken by it.
Afterwards we had a fun night hanging out with them backstage, and all pretenses of cool were dropped as I became a fawning fanboy, getting them to sign my "In The Beginning" LP. Other sweet memories include how Ari would refer to Ryan as "Baby Joe Strummer", and she gave us all a hug and promised to return the favor with a gig together in London - sadly never to be.
It's easy to lapse into cliche at times like this, but with all sincerity I can say that with the passing of Ari, we have lost one of our most inspiring and creative figures.
Big up punky reggae, rest in peace.
Gary Jarman x
Really well put. Great you got the chance to meet and play with them.