REVIEW: CRAZY ARM AT BRISTOL CROFT (10/10/11)
Crazy Arm have been on my radar for a couple of years now but, for one reason or another, I was yet to see them…until now. The Croft was rammed for a night of half a dozen quality bands, with people streaming in and out of the front and back rooms in quick succession, but for me, it was all about Crazy Arm. If you don’t already know, Crazy Arm are close to our hearts here at 247 Magazine as a couple of them work for us (yes, makes it even more shameful I haven’t got round to seeing them yet). In recent years, they’ve had some notable gigs, including a tour support slot with Frank Turner.
The Plymouth rockers headed up to their second home of Bristol, where the crowd always treats them well and this gig was no exception. The main room was full of very hot (temperature wise) folk, many of whom were rocking out or singing along. Despite my preconceptions of Crazy Arm being one of those bands predominantly for dudes, like Ash or Biffy Clyro or something, this crowd was pretty woman heavy. Hell, they’re a good-lookin bunch of lads – frontman Darren’s smile is infectious as he spits some effectively executed lyrics. He’s flanked by a bunch of beautiful boys too, a David Tenant lookalike and some of that understated Jim Carey charm thrown in to boot. But Crazy Arm are more than just eye candy.
Their political, punk tinged rock has a message, which sits just the right side of the preachy/self-righteous line, has a compelling energy about it. The new record Union City Breath dominates the set, which is good cos it’s a belter. They like their plays on names do Crazy Arm, and it seems to pay off. Their previous album Born To Ruin, like Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run, also proved a timely comment on modern society with some solid anthem contenders. Here we have Union City Breath, and like Blondie’s Union City Blue it is forceful, compelling and makes you wanna move. Though it must be noted that Crazy Arm say the title has nothing to do with Blondie. The opening track (for their album and the show) is the anthemic Asphalt. There were definite sniffs of the bands’ roots coming through with some Poguesy sounds, Death Cab For Cutie catchyness and slight Levellers undertones (not a bad thing in my book) but with a contemporary relevance akin to that of The King Blues and Frank Turner.
The group were joined on stage by Vicky Butterfield, whose honey-toned vocals added and extra dimension to the testosterone-fuelled stage. They started with an anti-fascist song which was well-received by the crowd. There really ain’t enough of that in modern music. Turning their backs on the dirge about feelings which everyone else seems to be writing about, they pen pieces which have a real punch and fill you with hope. This new direction, accented with songs like Blind Summit and lyrics such as ‘let’s all go back home’ signify a hard working band, who are frequently on the road and Darren expressed his joy at heading home after this Bristol gig. A perfect way to say goodbye for a bit methinks.
Words and photo: Laura Williams
