The Take (Welsh band)

The Take were a Welsh punk rock/post-hardcore band from Cardiff, Wales.

The band was formed, as 'Fishtake', by friends Jim Williams and Paul Copner. They had rmet at Art college in Cardiff in 1995 and shared similar tastes in alternative rock and heavy metal music. During their two years studying together, Paul's friend, Richey Crayford, joined the pair and initial songs were written by them and performed as a trio. Jim played drums, Paul sang and played guitar and Richie played bass. Shortly thereafter, Jim introduced his friend, Charles Curran (with whom he had been exploring musical ideas for a few years) to the ensemble. Charles played rhythm guitar for early gigs in Barry and Cardiff and also for the band's first recordings, made at a community centre studio on the former Howardian School site in Cardiff. These demos, recorded with a Fostex 16-track tape machine, were released as an eponymous cassette-tape in 1998. Richey Crayford left the band, to pursue a career in public service, before the recording and release of a second set of demos the following year. Those demos were recorded with a higher level of professionalism and superior equipment, by Martin Nichols, at The White House recording studio, near Weston-super-Mare. They were also released as a cassette-tape, entitled 'Ensure This Is Your Medicine'. Jim played both drums and guitars for the recordings, with Paul again singing and playing guitar and Charles assuming bass duties.

Jim Williams had been playing guitars for several years before taking to the drum-kit and, increasingly, he began to contribute more original song-writing ideas. The band decided to find a new drummer, to enable Jim to play guitar and sing new songs live. Will Rees, formerly of South Wales based Punk Rock band Four Letter Word, joined the band in late 1999 / early 2000. Fishtake continued to perform at pubs, clubs and community events across South Wales, meeting with an increased appreciation from audiences.

A second recording session at The White House, in November 2000, saw the band record a 5 song E.P., entitled 'Private Foul and Surface Water', which they released as a C.D. through their own - The 23:59 Label (23:59-2001-01). Jim sang all the songs and played guitar on this E.P., with Paul playing guitar, Charles on bass and Will on drums. With a renewed confidence in this revised line-up, the band began to connect with bands and promoters involved in the U.K. DIY (Do It Yourself) independent Punk / Alternative Rock community. Forging a musical path which was somewhat askew of then current trends for Pop-Punk, Hardcore and Ska-Punk, the band were welcomed on to bills with a variey styles, reaching audeinces outside South Wales and across the U.K.

The band renamed themselves, 'The Take', during the recording of their first full album 'Propeller'. This was recorded at Prism Studio, Stoke-on-Trent, in early September 2001. The band decided to seek assistance in the release of their new material and approached Household Name Records.^[1] Following a support slot at a show in The Underworld venue in Camden Town, London, the founders of Household Name Records, David "Lil" Giles and Katherine "Kafren" Vik, agreed to release the recordings. 'Propeller' was released in 2002 and support slots on U.K. tours with The Lawrence Arms and Belvedere followed.

They released their second album Dolomite in 2006 on Bombed Out Records.^[2] The group disbanded in 2007.^[3]