{{Short description|British rock band}} {{More citations needed|date=January 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}} {{Use British English|date=July 2015}} {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> | name = The Claim | image = | caption = | image_size = | background = group_or_band | origin = [[Cliffe, Kent|Cliffe]], [[Kent]], England<ref name="recordcollector">{{cite journal |last1=Reed |first1=John |title=Reclaiming Their Crown |journal=[[Record Collector]] |date=Christmas 2009 |issue=370 |page=144}}</ref> | genre = [[Indie rock]], [[indie pop]] | years_active = 1985–1992, 2009, 2010 | label = [[Esurient Communications]], [[Caff Records]], Trick Bag, A Turntable Friend | associated_acts = [[The Dentists]] | website = | current_members = David Read (vocals, guitar)<br>David Arnold (guitar)<br>Martin Bishop (drums)<br>Stuart Ellis (bass) | past_members = Adrian Hatcher<br>John Cleary }}
'''The Claim''' were a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[musical ensemble|band]] from [[Cliffe, Kent]], [[England]].
==Biography== They formed around 1980, as part of the [[indie music|independent]] [[Medway scene]] around the nearby towns of [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]], [[Chatham, Kent|Chatham]] and [[Gillingham, Kent|Gillingham]] and influenced by classic acts such as [[The Kinks]], [[The Jam (band)|The Jam]], [[The Clash]] and [[The Smiths]]. Stylistically, they shared much in common with fellow Kent band [[The Dentists]] and early [[Creation Records]] acts such as [[The Jasmine Minks]].<ref name="recordcollector" />
Between 1985 and 1992, The Claim released two albums and various singles and EPs, first on their own [[record label]], and then via Kevin Pearce's [[Esurient Communications]] imprint, [[Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne)|Bob Stanley]]'s [[Caff Records|Caff]] label and the German-based label A Turntable Friend.<ref name="recordcollector" /> Their first outing, ''Armstrong’s Revenge & Eleven Other Short Stories'' (1985) was followed by the 12" EP ''This Pencil Was Obviously Sharpened By a Left-Handed Indian Knife Thrower'' (again on Trick Bag Records).<ref name="recordcollector" /> By the time of 1988's ''Boomy Tella'' LP, the quality of their politically fused, bittersweet songs had matured considerably, and it is now regarded as their high-water mark.<ref>[http://popjunkietv.com/tag/boomy-tella/ ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605203126/http://popjunkietv.com/tag/boomy-tella/ |date=5 June 2009 }}</ref> Meanwhile, their single "Wait And See" was recorded at ex-[[The Jam|Jam]] drummer [[Rick Buckler]]'s studio with ex-[[The Jam|Jam]] producer [[Vic Coppersmith-Heaven]].
The Claim also teamed up with the poet and ex-[[The Dentists|Dentists]] drummer Vic Templar (an alias for Ian Smith) for various evenings which combined a play, featuring members of The Claim, with a musical performance by the band. Templar also collaborated with The Claim for the song "Mike The Bike", issued as the B-side to perhaps The Claim's most impressive outing, "Birth Of A Teenager", issued as a limited edition single housed in a sleeve designed by the [[Medway groups|Medway]] scene's most multi-faceted talent, [[Billy Childish]]. For another gig, Welsh band [[The Manic Street Preachers]] played their debut London show supporting The Claim.<ref name="recordcollector" /> The Claim played their final show in January 1993.<ref name="recordcollector" />
None of The Claim's music appeared on [[Compact disc|CD]] at the time. Recently, the band themselves compiled a retrospective, ''Black Path'', which was released on [[Rev-Ola Records]] in September 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/black-path-retrospective-1985-1992-mw0000835144 |title=Black Path: Retrospective 1985-1992 - The Claim | Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |date=2009-10-20 |accessdate=2016-01-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buzzinmusic.co.uk/the-claim-%E2%80%93-black-path-retrospective-1985-%E2%80%93-1992/1883 |title=The Claim – Black Path: Retrospective 1985 – 1992 |publisher=Buzzin Music |date= |accessdate=2016-01-14}}</ref> The band played a reunion gig in Rochester, Kent on 19 September 2009 to coincide with the project's release. On Thursday 25 March 2010, they played at a second reunion show with fellow Medway band [[The Dentists]] at [[Dingwalls]] in Camden Town, London.
==Discography== ===Singles=== * "Wait And See" / "Business Boy" / "God, Cliffe And Me" (Esurient Comms PACE 04, January 1989) * "Losers Corner" / "Picking Up The Bitter Little Pieces" (Esurient Comms PACE 07, January 1990) * "Birth Of A Teenager" / "Mike The Bike" (limited edition, Caff CAFF 008, 1990) * "Sunday" / "Sporting Life" (Esurient Comms PACE 10, 1991) * "Say So" / "Plastic Grip" / "Waiting for Jesus" (A Turntable Friend TURN 08, 1992)
===EPs=== * ''This Pencil Was Obviously Sharpened By a Left-Handed Indian Knife Thrower'' (Trick Bag cu-0388, spring 1987)
===Albums=== * ''Armstrong’s Revenge & Eleven Other Short Stories'' (Trick Bag TBR001 [cu-0387], December 1985) * ''Boomy Tella'' (Esurient Comms PACE 003, June 1988) * ''The New Industrial Ballads'' (A Turntable Friend Records, May 2019)
===Retrospective CD=== * ''Black Path'' (Rev-Ola, September 2009)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.myspace.com/boomytella Official band myspace]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Claim (band), The}} [[Category:English indie rock groups]] [[Category:Musical groups from Kent]] [[Category:People from Cliffe, Kent]]