It is all about choices. I took the choice to let go the last home game of the season months ago for some battery recharging days out with me love in our 2nd home up north but made sure i would be back for a potential relegation game. More or less luckily FCSP did not make that relegation (but the other team from Hamburg did) but the Thursday evening was rescued by Claimed Choice from France.
Unfortunately my choice to see them Lyonese was only shared with few friends and equally less other regulars or other interested parties. The rest seemed to favor Arthur Dent…
Only ~15 tickets sold prior to the show, my wild guess would be same amount sold at the door, so only about 30 good people took the chance to see a band that actually is way beyond Oi!, has so much more mu-sick-al capabilities and is able to cover such a wide territory.
And, frank, they can write songs. With complex structures. Good songs.
They waited upon the half-time whistle of the football game and then lured the folks from the bar (and the screen) over towards the stage.
They are typically filled under “Punk, Bovver and Oi!” and i have to admit that this falls way to short of their capabilities. To start with, they all seem to be excellent musicians, even a slight mishap on a not fully rehearsed new song is overcome right there with ease.
Claimed Choice (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 01.06.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
And on top their sound – like with many of their label partners on Une vie pour rien Vinyles – branches so much wider. They seamlessly blend even Wave, Post-Punk or whatever label you wanna stick to it.
And, even better, they where not pulled down by the low turnout and did hang full force in, with broad smiles and full energy. Speaking to them after the show they made it clear they wanted to play the Monkeys whatever, some of them even had been there before accompanying eg. Lions Law. And loved it.
Claimed Choice (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 01.06.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
I guess they played everything they had (the two records clock in at a total of 12 songs), they did let go though the Jook cover (a great song ahead of time as an Original but covered too often in this genre, so i had no complaint letting it go).
Once done they left for good but almost every individual in the audience approached a band member to give something extra, even if they had played it prior. It took a bit to get them from the bar, the merch booth and elsewhere back on stage but then it was encore time.
Great stuff and much to my surprise i have to admit that i was not expecting such an excellent delivery. Me mate Matthias was even more surprised, has he learned by chance that the 2nd guitar of Claimed Choice also plays Bass for Matthias current biggest mu-sick-al love Cran. And fills in as the tour guitar player for the equally great Prisonnier Du Temps. I guess he was the happiest member of the audience in the end!
As always if a band convinces me down from the stage i had to pick up vinyl, with Claimed Choice that was easy as all of their stuff fits a 12″ and a 7″. Most of me mates made the same choice actually, well done lads.
#recordcollectorsarepretentiousarseholes
You can grab your copies from Une vie pour rien?, the label that carries most of the new cool French sound. Pick both the 12″ (which includes their demo tape) and the 7″. They are worth it! After some more chats with fellow concert goers and #recordcollectorsarepretentiousarseholes i set on me bike and took the short ride home, happy as could be.
I guess those supporting the other club in Hamburg where less happy and some even regretted not choosing the Monkeys.
It is about choices. As ever.
