Crazy
Arm
Bristol, Croft
1st March 2012
There
must be something in the air around Bristol, as
I have yet to see a bad performance this year,
and tonight was going to be no exception. The
performances so far have been such a high standard,
each with their own unique strengths to keep the
performance in our heads for many days to come.
This level of performance is usually reserved
for the larger stages and audiences of venues
such as Bristol's O2 Academy, but tonight we have
been blessed with the chance to get up close and
personal. If anything, the performances we have
seen far surpass that of the recent Academy shows,
as they have invoked more emotion and power, but
without the aid of an amazing light show, large
stage or high tech sound system. 'Brand New' may
be able to orchestrate the fans of a sold out
show to sing along with them for the chorus of
a song, but Austin Lucas and an acoustic guitar
can bring a crowd to silence as he serenades them
unplugged from within the crowd. The only question
in our minds at this point of the night, is how
do you follow that?
My
mind cannot comprehend how another acoustic performance
could improve on what has just been witnessed
from Austin Lucas, luckily Crazy Arm had no intent
on keeping such a low volume for their performance.
By this point, the events of the night had already
run on well past schedule, leaving Crazy Arm only
10 minutes of their 45 minute set time remaining.
With touring sound engineer Neil Dodd behind the
desk, Crazy Arm waste no time in getting into
their opening track 'Of The Tarantulas'. The volume
is the loudest I have heard from any gig in the
Croft, with the amps cracked to 10 to add to the
immersive sound. At this point I am not sure what
I should do. My ears are at the point of rupturing
but the sonic perfection coming from stage is
mind blowing. I missed taking picture in the first
song, I just stood in amazement. Long past has
the day when I first saw this band, but they still
render me jaw open every time they begin. Even
note on the guitar is stroked with perfection,
every hit on the drum has so much intent, this
isn't a small club gig, its a demonstration of
years of hard graft, experimentation, some great
music taste and strong beliefs from every member
of the band. The songs are quickly knocked out
in quick succession to try and please the fan
that have waited all night to see them in the
small time slot that they have been given.
This
is the first time that I have been to see Crazy
Arm with the new additions to the band. At previous
gigs, Ihave had the pleasure to witness Vicky
Butterfield join the band on stage to add some
superb guest vocals on Peggy Seeger's 'Song of
Choice'. With the introduction of their latest
album 'Union City Breath' Vicky has now taken
a more prominent role on stage accompanied by
new addition Patrick James Pearson on keys and
fiddle. With only a few songs completed without
the new members, it wasn't long before all six
members were on stage. Their presence was well
received; not detracting from the original members,
but adding another level of depth and a stronger
folk element to their live performance.
By
the time the band broke into their latest single
'Tribes' they were already 10 minutes over their
curfew and this was expected to be their last
song. As one last push to end the night on a personal
and intimate note, lead singer Darren Johns announced
that for the first time he was going to try something
new to get some audience participation. With the
help of the beautiful vocal of Vicky Butterfield,
they split the crowd in two to sing two separate
harmonic variations of the closing melody. It
was a great spectacle to watch. Even though some
of the crowd didn't know the words, and most could
not handle the melody, the band successfully recreated
the end to their recently filmed video to the
track. Everybody was having fun and it was sad
to think that the band had been cut so short on
their set.
As
the song finished Darren looked to the back of
this small room and asked if they had time for
one more. With a short pause and no reply, Crazy
Arm broke into 'Bandalito' and then with no signs
of being told to stop, continued into 'International
Front', and 'Broken By The Wheel'. The atmosphere
in the room has changed, from people trying to
soak in every second of the set, to just pure
enjoyment. The crowd seemed more satisfied that
they hadn't been cut short and let themselves
relax into the music. Mosh pits were started and
the crowd started to move and become involved
a lot more. Feeling that they had pushed the curfew
far enough, Crazy Arm drew their set to a close
with the title track of their first album 'Born
to Ruin'. Words and photos will never be able
to capture how incredible a Crazy Arm gig. The
years of experience and sure passion for the music
they play is unlike any other band I have seen.
The only band that comes close is the great 'RX
Brandits' who sadly are not currently writing
or touring, so for now Crazy Arm
are that band that you should make it your mission
to see at all costs. The gig wasn't without fault,
the time constraints put a squeeze on the performance
and felt slightly rushed at the start, but this
was quickly forgotten after the band made the
decision to play until the plug was pulled. I
have seen this band play to 10 people in a small
pub and to thousands at festivals such as Reading
and Leeds. In relation to their other gigs, I
would rate this only a 4/5, in relation to any
other band on the planet, it was pure perfection.
5/5 doest seem to do this band justice, but if
you really want to see something special, get
down and see them at a home town show.
Crazy Arm – 5/5
Review By Neil Oliver
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