The Rain were an English

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

band from

Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...

, England, active between 1986 and the early 1990s. They later changed their name to Clark Springs.

History

The band was formed by singer/guitarist Clive Stubbings, bassist Nigel Rivers later to be replaced by Tony Duckworth (ex-Junk Factory) and drummer Chris Morrell. Their first single, "Tom Paine" was self-released, but caught the ear of

Medium Cool Records Medium Cool was a British independent record label, that existed between 1986 and 1989. Specializing in jangly guitar-pop, it released records by bands such as The Raw Herbs, The Siddeleys, The Rain, The Waltones, The Popguns, and The Corn ...

, who signed them up. They contributed two tracks, "Dry The Rain" and "Seven Red Apples" to Medium Cool's ''Edge of The Road'' compilation album, but their first single for the label, "First Of May" never saw the light of day due to the collapse of Medium Cool's distributor, Red Rhino Records. The band's first album, ''To The Citadel'', was released in 1989, desicribed by

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

as "glorious, honed to cut-glass perfection", and gaining comparison with

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

and

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative ...

in Sounds. A 12" EP, "The Watercress Girl" followed in 1991. They changed their name to Clark Springs, releasing a single, "Talking Kent State" in 1993, and contributing "She Lives By The Castle" to ''A Tribute To

Felt Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood ...

'' in 1995.

Discography

Singles

*"Tom Paine" (1985, Jive Alive, JA002) *"First of May" (1988, Medium Cool) (promos only) *"The Watercress Girl" (1990, Orangewood) *"Talking Kent State" (1993, Summershine) (as Clark Springs)

Albums

*''To The Citadel'' (1990, Orangewood)

Compilation appearances

*"Dry The Rain" and "Seven Red Apples" on ''Edge of The Road'' (1988, Medium Cool) *"The Money Men" on ''Imminent 4'' (1986, Food) *"Down Here (demo)" on ''Zine Cool Flexi'' (with ''Zine'' magazine) *"First of May" on ''You Can't Be Loved Forever 2'' *"Down Here" on ''Everlasting'' *"She Lives By The Castle" on ''A Tribute To Felt'' (1995, Elefant)

References

External links

The Rain on TweeNet''360° de Separación'' article about ''To The Citadel''
English pop music groups English indie pop groups {{UK-band-stub