Damn Arms Are Dead
News posted Monday, July 6 2009 at 11:00 AM.
Related: Damn Arms.
Melbourne electro-punks-turned-yacht-house-pioneers Damn Arms are dead - in case you cared or noticed. The band, who have been so close to inactive over the last year that the question of their demise was something of a fait accompli, finally confirmed the end on Friday. A Myspace blog titled ‘Yama’s Very Delayed Parting Words’, posted by founding member/survivor Yama Indra, states that neither Indra nor fellow Damn Arms member Tim Sullivan ‘will be writing any further material as Damn Arms’. Indra’s blog follows a post from Tim Sullivan back in March 2009 announcing his departure, leaving Indra as the sole member of the group.
Although the blog thankfully avoids the default ‘musical differences’ claim, Indra curiously states that he and Sullivan are ‘still close friends’ although they have ‘agreed to part ways musically as far as the eye can see’. Guess one of you will have to move out of Melbourne then, huh ?
Damn Arms were a band who failed to capitalise on their potential. Emerging in mid-2005 out of the ashes of Adelaide’s Snap ! Crakk !, the band chalked up some incendiary live shows and the promising Homewrecker EP as positive strikes. They spent six weeks in Europe, supporting Forward Russia and headlining their own shows in London and Paris, getting friendly with other next-big-things-oh-shit-our-career-is-dead Test Icicles. Lest we damn them with faint praise, let’s also remember that the New Musical Express gave the band the #1 on their Radar chart, they DJ’d with The Gossip, and the band sold out headline dates at the Barfly in Camden.
However, all this action amounted to nought when debut The Live Artex arrived too late, too overcooked and too bereft of, y’know, actual songs. A change of sound from electro-punk to self-described ‘yacht house’ was seemingly the final straw. The band had relegated their career to DJ sets from Sullivan and Indra of late, and the ever-declining line-up (members Ian Jackson, Ben Browning and Simon Parker all left the group for other projects) seemed to suggest any news of their demise hadn’t been greatly exaggerated.
Damn Arms are survived by Indra’s solo/collaboration project Gloves, Jackson’s Heirs, Sullivan’s Das Moth and Parker’s Lost Valentinos. Ben Browning plays in some band called Cut Copy. Never heard of them.
Nu-rave is dead, long live nu-rave.
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Can't wait for the reunion shows!!
But they look so together.
isn't tim moving to japan or something?
Ah, that photo. It's Tim and Yama examining their bank balance.
So both of Wagstaff's arms have broken up (Mercy Arms and Damn Arms). That is a shame. They both should have done so well!
didn't they book the hifi for their album launch and only 80 people showed up? don't think they ever played again......
Nah, I played at that Hi-Fi show. There were way, way more than 80 people. Damn Arms got a decent crowd, especially considering that it was election night when Howard lost.
I thought there were some good songs on the live artex, but Home wrecker (the e.p.) sounds so dated now i can't even listen to it.
Thirty-Six and Edie are the best tracks on the album. Produced by Nick Littlemore, before he started taking his shirt off.
LoadMyRig won't even flirt with me.
Which band do you play in (or did) timewaster? a PM will suffice i you wish to remain anonymous.
Me ? I'm the lead singer of Grinspoon. Come and watch me play Beatles covers at the White Album concert. I love things that are white and powdery. PM me and I will put your name on the door.
At the skate park.
Nah, it's started raining today. It's been raining all damn week!!!! I'm gonna go skate the Ring of Fire. It's a rad INDOOR wooden bowl in Braybrook.
I hope those pesky Grinspoon fans will let me skate in peace. I'm trying to learn switch backside lipslide revert on transition and so close!!!!!
I saw you on Enough rope, that was very brave
''Nah, it's started raining today. It's been raining all damn week!!!! I'm gonna go skate the Ring of Fire. It's a rad INDOOR wooden bowl in Braybrook. ''
It’s school holidays dude, prepare to get mown down by a million mini shecklers on that ramshackle street course that is so slippery it’s like skating on ice that someone has also applied oil to...
I like Damn Arms because I went to see them once and instead discovered how great The Instant are/were.
timewaster = raph
Simon Parker = awesome drummer and all round good guy. The dude deserves to find a band that delivers the hits eventually.
Bring back Parlour already!
snap! crakk! were better anyhow.
untold/animals said 3 minutes ago:
Hilarity!
Sounds like the era of the 'arms' bands has being taken over with the 'horse' bands.
Yep. Snap! Crakk! are sadly missed. Still, I preferred Jemima Jemima. That band kicked major arse.
Whatever happened to Jemima Jemima?
SImon Parker's now the drummer in Lost Valentinos. They're doing well. They've signed to Etc Etc ( through Universal ), along with Pnau, The Knife, Mylo and some other melbourne band that features a Phil Jamieson imposter.
Ah. Ironically, Lost Valentinos are managed by big Toddy Wagstaff, who managed Damn Arms (RIP), Mercy Arms (RIP) and enjoys fresh burritos with the cream-of-sumyung-guy. So Simon has not managed to escape Waggy's clutches.
anything is better than still being with timberyard though...
anything is better than still being with timberyard though...
ellen has done birth glow and clue to kalo and now has a solo project called fair maiden, michael is in NYC, seems to be playing in lots of bands and raquel is doing fatti frances
raquel is doing fatti frances
& Nathan Hollywood & The Anicents
Nice photo of Danias....
mmm Slurm
Ha ha ha. Orange juice is coming out of my nose.
I'm gonna ring the Greek Bumjacker and tell him to look at this.
'ya indie cunts....'
And the winner is Heirs! There's a band that knows how to utilise Ian's talents to the fullest.
This has got to be the single snarkiest news post yet. Well done Mess & Noise.