Chesterfield’s The Crooks were set to blow up in 2020. ‘Nevermind’ in late 2019 and ‘She Walks Alone’ & ‘In Time’ in early 2020 were of such stature that, the word was out. Venues were selling out, This Feeling nights were repeatedly filled with “when are The Crooks playing”. It was their time!
We all know what happened next. So, when they announced their return with ‘Frankie’ in 2021, we tentatively pressed play. What bombast and the swagger of that initial run was diminished? Worse still, what if the quality dipped?
In many ways, the ebullience has abated. As they decree “I don’t know what will get us out of here”, 18 months of hardship gushes from their souls. Even at the peak of the twisted solo, there is a sombre mood at play. The magic, however, is prevalent more than ever. The band many pinned their hopes on have come back and captured the mood of the nation once again.
Fans from before the pandemic will find the power of the lyric “I know I’ve got a lot I wanna say” is immeasurable”. We all love bands with confidence. However, we should love this band more. They’ve stepped up to say, we’re here, we’re great but, we’re not sure we can do this and, we can’t do it alone. The feeling of a band and fans as one has elevated itself to an almost family level on this showing.
When you throw in the devastating psychedelia of the guitars, it’s hard to see how it’s not still their time. Only this time, they feel mortal and, people can feel even closer to their music.