Interview with Dead Arms

Are you tired of listening to the same ol’ cookie cutter radio pop-punk garbage? Are you sick of seeing  45 year old dudes in make-up pretending to be all punk and rock’n roll like? (Cough… Greenday.) Have you been looking for some new, balls out, no mercy, kick you in the teeth, from the gut, pure noise-rock goodness? Yes you are… I know you. You are tired of having the same duplicated band crammed down your throat everyday. You want more bands in the world that harken back to likes of The Jesus Lizard, Hot Snakes, Motorhead, The Stooges, Fucked Up, etc.

Well you are in luck my friend. May I present forth, Dead Arms. A London based quartet, composed of General Waste (vocals), Phil Glitter (guitar), Danny 5 Bands (bass), and Kitty Techno (drums). These fine English blokes are out for blood. They have the chops to prove it as is evident with their new album, All The Hits, which was released earlier this year. All The Hits is 27 minutes of pure garage, noise-punk fun. Don’t believe me? Listen for yourself.

I was extremely fortunate to be able to talk with the very gracious, General Waste and discuss all things Dead Arms, their new record, as well as his favorite beers!

All The Hits Album ArtYour new album, All The Hits, is pretty incredible. As I listen to it, I feel like I am whisper away to a magically trashy punk bar where I am punched in the face by some drunk tranny who then insists on paying for my drinks the rest of the night (Dead Arms playing in the background). What is the inspiration behind the record?

They were the first 10 songs we wrote that didn’t sound shit.

Were any individuals hurt during the making of this record? Accident or not?

As far as I’m aware, only emotionally! Kitty and I are susceptible to the odd repetitive joke strain though, which the other two have suffered at the hands of for quite some time….

Is there an overall message behind the songs? What is your lyrical inspiration?

Without sounding like a pretentious ass I mostly write about the frailties of the human condition whether it be the corruption of power, the desperation of lust or the fear of isolation from society. Wait a minute, I do sound like a pretentious ass….shit, better write a song about that too….I shall call it “I am a cunt, deal with it.”

Tell us a little bit about the video for “Superman, Fuck you”.

We have no money and very little free time so whilst I was on my lunch break I decided to see if I could use some video editing software to cut together an image based video. I found some pics and some animated gifs that suited and chucked them together. The result is the gloriously trashy (and slightly out of sync) vid you can see on YouTube. It’s my first music video…I’m planning on being the next David Fincher.

I was determined to get something up to coincide with the trailer release for Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. I’m hopeful that Zack Snyder sees it and asks us to play it in the movie (preferably in an Alabama dive bar behind chicken wire whilst Superman worshippers throw piss and shit at us).    I’ve tweeted him but still no response, if anyone knows him get him to get in touch…we’re very cheap…

If you could tell any super hero to fuck off, who would you pick and why? Superman?

Definitely Superman, yeah. He doesn’t even have to try does he? He has all the power and all the ability…fuck me, if he screws up he can literally fly backwards around the world and turn back time! Cher wishes she had that gift.

He’s the very embodiment of everything that’s wrong with the world, where the rich can do what they like, blissfully unaware that the rest of us have to work fucking hard for just a modicum of success.

So fuck you, Superman….I was always a Squirrel Girl kinda guy anyway.

YouTube player

Dead Arms BandWhat has been the best moment as a band thus far?

I actually cried a little when we finished recording the album. I actually couldn’t believe that four idiots like us would get it together to complete it. It was a pretty special and heart-warming moment. Of course, Kitty and our producer (and ex-drummer) Dave Maintenance just laughed at me and called me a soppy twat.

I think getting the first few reviews in for the record was also pretty amazing. You expect your mates to be polite and say they love it (even if they don’t) but when strangers from all over the world write pretty cool things, likening us to some amazing bands it makes you appreciate how cool it is that we get to be in a band together.

Also, when an audience member once told me that my vocal style made it sound like I was being murdered…that was nice…

Is there a saying your parents told you growing up that led you to become the outstanding young gentlemen you are now?

My dad always told me to take every opportunity that comes my way. You’ll only regret what you don’t do.

I can’t speak for the others but knowing them I guess they’d agree with that as a lesson for life.

I was also instructed to give up my seat for pregnant ladies and the elderly on public transport….and that I would never make it as a professional soccer player. I achieve both on a daily basis.

How did you come up with your nicknames?

I wasn’t actually involved with this one. The other three band members of our original line up (we were called Wet T-Shirt Competition) came up with them in a blizzard of booze and drugs. When our original drummer Dave Maintenance quit we recruited Kitty Techno and changed our name to Dead Arms.

The reasoning is fairly simple though I’m General Waste ‘cause I’m the leader (and totally rubbish), Phil Glitter is the musical sparkle, Kitty brings the beats and Danny has 5 Bands….

In a complete nuclear fallout who is actually most likely to survive, Keith Richards or Lemmy?

Lemmy would logically be the last man standing but don’t underestimate Keef. He would eat Lemmy first in a desperate fit of cannibalism and ingest his godlike survival powers. Game over, Man.

Dead Arms UK Noise RockFor those of us that are not able to see you in the U.K., describe to us the experience of a Dead Arms live show.

We’re fundamentally a rock’n’roll band so you can expect ass-shaking riffs and good time rhythms. We come from a pretty underground hardcore and noise scene so it’s pretty obligatory to be loud, fast, and raw as fuck too. Also expect swearing, rants about politics and Danny forgetting the ending to at least one tune per show.

You guys give shout outs to the London DIY scene. Can you give us a little insight to what that scene is all about and why it’s so important to Dead Arms?

Phil Glitter and I first met when my old band It Often Takes a War played our debut show in a practice space in Camden, London. Rainey, the guitarist in that band, had created a thriving night in North London called Rip This Joint (we deliberated over calling it Turd on the Run for some time) that was non-profit and utilised random venues not on the radar of the mainstream circuit in London. Kitty and I had been part of the team that organised the shows aiding with DJ-ing, manning the door, promotion, and other such activities. Phil and his band Death Pedals then created a sister night called I Hate The Kids in East London.

The whole ethos is to support bands from both London and around the globe with awesome shows in London that aren’t “pay-to-play” and aren’t full of folks with more interest in taking selfies than watching bands. We try and support as many new and upcoming bands as possible and sometimes we even get more established bands to headline to help boost the exposure for the rest of the bill (we’ve had the likes of Hey Colossus, Bo Ningen, Teeth Of The Sea and Palehorse come down and play) and at the end of the day everyone gets paid and we go home penniless but happy! There’s way too much shit about how artists shouldn’t expect to get paid for their craft but in London you run the risk of only having a bunch of rich kids playing at being rock stars being able to afford to even practice so we’re pretty proud of the fact that we can always pay our bands and help them get to the next gig or replace bust equipment etc!

Dave Maintenance also built his own studio (Bear Bites Horse in East London) which most of the bands involved with our scene have used in some capacity or other. It’s just another great way that the scene can keep itself moving forward without relying on unscrupulous bastards!

General Waste is WastedWhat are some of your favorite London venues either to play or to see other bands?

For nostalgia’s sake we have to say The Constitution in Camden. Rip This Joint was born in the cellar of that pub which had previously only really hosted jazz and soul nights…that all changed when we started filling it with huge amps and tattooed goons! The last time we played there I was so drunk I can’t remember even getting through the set.

There’s a number of other venues that we’ve played in or seen bands at that are worth checking out if you’re ever in London including The Black Heart in Camden, The Hope and Anchor in Highbury, The Fighting Cocks in Kingston, and The Stag’s Head in Hoxton.

We also recommend The Mucky Pup in Angel, Bradley’s Spanish Bar off Oxford Street, and The Duke Of Wellington in Haggerston (Dead Arms’s local) for a good night on the beer!

If you could pick your bands for the ultimate tour featuring Dead Arms, who else would be on the roster?

We’d have to tour with Phil’s main band Death Pedals and Danny’s band USA Nails so we get to hang out with our mates! If Kitty could get November Fleet back together they would be a must too…how many bands can we have? Can we do an all-dayer every day? In which case stick in Yards, ShitWife, Silent Front, Nitkowski, Screen Wives, Trials Of Early Man, Heck Tate, Ley Lines, Falling Stacks, Petrol Girls, Frau Pouch and Theo.

Top 3 favorite beers.. Go.

The Farage – a smooth white beer brewed in the garden of England. Not available for export.

Hipsters Tickle – comes in a bottle shaped like a bowler hat and extremely expensive…is actually just Fosters.

The Frunt –  A sharp abrasive beer that after prolonged exposure leaves you all warm and fuzzy.

Now that you have released your ultimate masterpiece, what is next on the docket for Dead Arms?

We’ve just recorded a brand new track entitled “My 52nd Trip to Hell’” for an upcoming compilation for the Rip This Joint label. No huge leap in style, just a classic Dead Arms party starter.

Other than that, if we can sync our lives we’ll go play some shows to some unsuspecting out of Londoners. Anyone who wants to put us on, get in touch….we’re house trained…

Dead Arms Links:

Facebook, Bandcamp, Twitter