Devon roots-punks, Crazy Arm, didn't know what they wanted to be when they grew up so they decided to throw everything, six full decades of inspiration, against the wall and see what stuck. The result is a creative and catholic sound that pays tribute to hardcore punk, ‘60s protest music, American, English and Irish folk, anarcho-punk and classic rock’n’roll in equal measure. Combined with a grass-roots political slant, it makes for a thrilling and thought-provoking listen.
Each of their three long-players on Xtra Mile Recordings, 'Born To Ruin' (2009), 'Union City Breath' (2011) and 'The Southern Wild' (2013) have been hailed as a triumph by fans and critics across the globe. Countless UK and European tours with the likes of Against Me!, Frank Turner, Chuck Ragan, Bangers, Sonic Boom Six, Lagwagon and Apologies I Have None, alongside festival appearances at Reading/Leeds, 2000 Trees, Boardmasters, Leopalooza, Mighty Sounds and more, have bolstered the band's popularity and confirmed their hard work ethic. Radio stations including Mike Davies' Radio One Punk Show, Xfm, BBC Introducing, 6Music and a host of indie stations have given the band support. They even won the 'Best Rock Act' award at the South West Music Awards 2011 much to their bemusement.
Over the past two years, Crazy Arm have developed another side to their forte: playing stripped down acoustic shows with fiddle, banjo, dreadnoughts and close male/female vocal harmonies that reflect their fondness for folk-roots, bluegrass, country and Americana; with a respectful nod to the likes of Woven Hand, Murder By Death, Johnny Cash, Phil Ochs, Austin Lucas, Woody Guthrie, and CSNY. Their brand new album 'The Southern Wild' is the result of this venture.
The band are currently working on new songs for their fourth album, which may or may not be a return to the sand-blasting guitars of their debut.
What they said about 'The Southern Wild':
'The cream of the homegrown folk-punk crop' – Big Cheese
'There's something special here' – Rock Sound
'A beautiful collection of songs' – Punk News
'Quite astonishing... a true love and respect for musical diversity' – The Student
'An instinct and outlook that has much to recommend it' – Kerrang!