It's A Keeper
After recently supporting Chuck Ragan (best known for being front man in undoubtedly Gainesville’s best musical export, Hot Water Music) and Frank Turner (ex-Million Dead front man turned non-stop touring troubadour) on tour, Plymouth’s Crazy Arm offer a passionate, semi-anthemic sing-along with their latest single.
With a real sense of punk rock earnestness and a hint of the Ted Leo and the Pharmacists about them, ‘Still to Keep’ is one of those rousing singles, which may not necessarily be a raging fire of a track, but it burns assuredly with sincerity and sentiment.
Perhaps one of the most sticking elements of the track is that it would be much better suited to the arsenal of a solitary solo artist. Although not particularly gruff in vocal style like tour mate Ragan or overtly political in the vein of Turner, what vocalist Darren Johns has is a Springsteen-esque impassioned lilt: a real call to arms contained within his sawdust and whisky-drenched vocals. Teamed with those vocals the forceful refrain of 'Be Not Afraid', it’s a real hand in the air, finger pointing tune and seems, at points, more in keeping with the Guthries, Ochs and the bosses of this world than the punk fraternity (although the two have always been close).
If Crazy Arm fall apart tomorrow, Darren Johns could easily follow in the footsteps and success of his tour mates.